THE WAHRI.EK 19 



to be rocked ; wliilsl the niiilc, j^ercliing on a willow 

 l)r;ui( h oi- clinging- lo a ivod, goes on repeating all day 

 his joyous sj^riglilly song, letting the quick, shrill notes 

 succeed each other with unvaiied regularity :^cri, cri, 

 era, cara, cara ! 



The sun shoots down its rays, and between the reeds 

 the water has the dazzling glare of molten silver; the 

 fiery atmosphere seems to blaze, and that monotonous 

 unceasing song harmonizes Avith the twinkling of the 

 river, the buzzing of the insects and the quavering of the 

 hot air. It is a continual babbling, harsh like the voice 

 of a busy housewife as she comes and goes about the 

 house, giving her orders, scolding her servants and never 

 stopping her chattering. In the district of Brie, in 

 France, they say of a talkative woman, she chatters hke 

 a white throat. fElle jase com me line efjarvatle.J 



This merry warbler has all the domestic virtues of a 

 good housewife, but her faults as well : exclusive, positive 

 and domineering, she wishes above all to be mistress in 

 her own house, and will allow^ no other birds to settle in 

 the place she has chosen. But it is a good-natured bird 

 after all. In the long summer days, in the gloomy 

 neighbourhood of solitary ponds, it throws out now and 

 then a joyful note. Its song has a rather common melody, 

 it is lively and free, like the merriment of the mob. In 

 spite of its unvaried trite modulations, it is rather original. 

 Whoever has once heard it will never forget it. It 



