more than the berries, which are the only food 

 now left to them. Nor shall they be disappointed, 

 for besides a matutinal meal of crumbs, are there 

 not a number of warmth-producing tallow can- 

 dles and coconuts waiting in readiness to be hung 

 up in the trees for their Christmas delectation? 



There are virtually no more flowers but the yel- 

 low jasmine, and yet on the 8th of December I 

 picked a good bunch of belated, half-open rose- 

 buds, which look quite nice and refreshed in the 

 warmth of the house, in water. 



A terrible tragedy occurred in the first days of 

 frost. A hungry robin forced his way through 

 the meshes of the garden aviary in which lives a 

 magpie who recently lost her mate. The poor 

 robin in his search for food little thought what 

 a dangerous expedition he had embarked upon; 

 but the result of his rashness was that he was 

 killed and eaten by his host! 



The elms and the oaks parted with their leaves 

 very slowly and unwillingly, in the same way that 

 we gradually and reluctantly give up our illusions 

 and as the winter of our life approaches find our- 

 selves stripped of all the beautiful fancy foliage 

 210 



