XVI. 

 IN OUR NEIGHBOR'S DOOR-YARD. 



THE little German girl with the scarlet pina- 

 fore was a near neighbor, living at the head 

 of the valley in a cottage surrounded by great 

 live - oaks. These trees were alive with birds. 

 Bush-tits flew back and forth, busily hanging 

 their gray pockets among the leafy folcls of 

 the drooping branches ; blue jays flew through, 

 squawking on their way to the brush ; gold- 

 finches, building in the orchard, lisped sweetly as 

 they rested in the oaks ; and a handsome oriole 

 who was building in the grove flew overhead so 

 slowly he seemed to be retarded by the fullness 

 of his own sweet song. But I had become so 

 fond of the gentle gray titmouse whose nest I 

 had helped to build, that of all the bird songs in 

 the trees, its cheery tu-whit', tu-whit', tu-whit' was 

 most enticing to me. How delightful it would be 

 to watch another pair of the winning workers ! 

 I did see one of the birds enter a hollow branch, 

 one day, and not long after saw it go down a 

 hole in an oak trunk ; but never saw it after- 

 wards in either place. Back and forth I followed 

 that elusive voice, hoping to discover the nest, 



