194 THE RECTORY AND ITS BIRDS 



as possible to the bottom. You may get a wetting 

 in the process ; but it will not be long, I think, 

 before you try to get a view of so much beauty, 

 concentrated within so small a space, a second 

 time. Each golden straw-end is glistening with a 

 full round globule of transparent crystal, which 

 lingers lovingly for a moment, then drops, as 

 lovingly, on to the next below, and is instantly 

 succeeded by another of equal size and beauty, 

 coming with invisible trickle from you know not 

 where. Ten thousand flashing pearls, each on its 

 golden sceptre, " gorgeous" as those " showered" 

 by Eastern monarch along with " barbaric gold " 

 on the head of his chosen bride, and ten thousand 

 miniature cascades, with rest in their very motion, 

 motion in their very rest. ' 



And now about the denizens of the thatch, the 

 companions of my youth, and among the most 

 cherished memories of my age. There is little, I 

 suppose, that can be said, which has not been said 

 in some shape or other before, about a class of 

 birds which, by their familiarity with man, have 

 managed to force themselves upon his attention, and 

 have, many of them, received from him a large 

 measure of protection or even affection in return. 

 But no one observer sees quite eye to eye with 



