226 HUMMING-BIRD OF ROBINSON CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



tains were clothed with trees, and there were 

 fertile valleys, watered by crystal streams. And 

 here and there, a cascade bounded from rock to 

 rock, and glided along like a thread of silver. 



All kinds of tropical plants and trees grew on 

 the sheltered parts of the island. Here were 

 palm-trees, and the cotton, and the pepper. And 

 here were myrtle-trees of great size, so that the 

 trunks could be sawed into planks forty feet long. 



A tall grass, as high as a man, covered these 

 fertile spots, and looked like a crop of oats. And 

 there were ferns, and creepers, and clover, and 

 many other familiar plants. The island had no 

 human inhabitants ; but birds and insects were 

 met with. Here were great spiders, that wove 

 gigantic webs from tree to tree. And here were 

 the Albatross and the Hawk ; and a bird that 

 made a hole in the ground, like a rabbit, and fed 

 upon fish. Every night, this bird used to utter a 

 note like the words " Be quiet ! " 



And here were Humming -Birds in all their 

 brilliant beauty. Perhaps the most beautiful 

 Humming- Bird ever seen is found in this remote 



