122 JULY 



looking pair of squinting eyes, and horrid hooked 

 beak. From point to point of its wings, it 

 measured exactly 7 feet. A truly terrible object. 

 A great contrast to this ferocious bird of prey, is 

 the homely little brown-and-white mina, nearly the 

 size of a pigeon, which inhabits these trees by the 

 hundred. One pair always brings up a family in a 

 recess of the coping outside the upper verandah, 

 and there they squawk and scold and wrangle, 

 flying inside to be fed with bits of toast in the 

 morning. Klinker must have offended them in 

 some way, for every time he goes out into the garden, 

 they are down upon him, nearly nipping him on 

 the back ; and they chase him half over the garden. 

 This only occurs with Klinker ; never with Nous. 

 Sometimes the crows, which are not crows at all, 

 but plain and simple jackdaws, will endeavour to 

 compete with the minas for the bits we throw. 

 So soon as they do, Klinker is in the midst of them, 

 scattering them to right and left, and dispersing 

 them ; but he never disturbs the minas. I said to 

 the Ancient : 



" Tell me, why did the cro-cus ? Not because 

 he found hell-e-bore, but because Klinker stole 



