July 
he extracts the delectable morsel. This opera- 
tion is an undoubted pleasure to him and to the 
spectator, and on a mercantile basis is to be 
considered a fair bargain in the equivalence 
of gratification and expense—the justice of the 
argument being impaired only by the fact that, 
while the gratification is mine, the blossoms 
belong to some one else. : 
I recall a very: pretty but not unusual scene 
one day enacted by the oriole. It was perched 
on a limb overhanging a basin of water, and 
from its frequent glances in that direction I sur- 
mised it was going to take a bath. But it was 
very much afraid of being observed, and ner- 
vously turned its head and peered in all direc- 
tions. Thinking the coast was clear, it at last 
jumped down to the brink of the water, gave . 
another hasty glance all about, and then, shy as 
Venus, jumped in, dipped its golden plumage 
two or three times, stepped to the edge, and 
with one more timid look, darted out of sight. 
9 
Of the rich and variegated throng of warblers 
that enlivened every bush and tree in May, but 
few species remain, as they mostly prefer a 
cooler climate or more seclusion than can be 
199 
