64 ON THE BEACH AT DAYTONA. 
March, when I paid it a farewell visit, its 
owner was still at work lining it with fine 
grass. At that time it was a comfort- 
able-looking and really elaborate structure. 
Both the birds came to look at me as I stood 
on the piazza. They perched together on 
the top of a stake so narrow that there was 
scarcely room for their feet; and as they 
stood thus, side by side, one of them struck 
its beak several times against the beak of 
the other, as if in play. I wished them joy 
of their expected progeny, and was the more 
ready to believe they would have it for this 
little display of sportive sentimentality. 
It was a distinguished company that fre- 
quented that row of narrow back yards on 
the edge of the sand-hills. As a new-comer, 
I found the jays (sometimes there were ten 
under my eye at once) the most entertain- 
ing members of it, but if I had been a 
dweller there for the summer, I should per- 
haps have altered my opinion ; for the group 
contained four of the finest of Floridian 
songsters,— the mocking-bird, the brown 
thrasher, the cardinal grosbeak, and the 
Carolina wren. Rare morning and evening 
concerts those cottagers must have. And 
