of the Old World. 305 



tree, the chattering of a troop of monkeys as they 

 pass in the distance, bounding from bough to bough ; 

 the peculiarly soft and melancholy note of the turtle- 

 doves, as they flutter in pairs from tree to tree ; or 

 the shrill screams of flights of paroquet, whose 

 brilliant plumage shines with exquisite lustre in the 

 light of the sun, as they dash close past, unconscious 

 of danger in their forest home. 



As the day declines, birds of all kinds are seen re- 

 turning homeward from their distant feeding-grounds; 

 pelicans rise heavily on their unwieldy wings from 

 the marshes and wend their way to their nests on the 

 highest trees in some secluded spot. Flying-foxes 

 leave the shady grove where they have hung sus- 

 pended during the heat of the day, and are seen in 

 numbers darkening the sky as they roam through the 

 twilight ; whilst multitudes of bats flit about in all 

 directions in search of the insects on which they feed. 



As the sun sets, moths of all kinds issue from their 

 retreats, and mosquitoes are constantly heard buzzing 

 about, increasing in the audacity of their attacks as 

 the night wears on. The shrill voices of innumerable 

 crickets, the croaking of frogs, and the continual hum 

 of other insects, keep up a perpetual serenade long 

 after darkness has covered the earth. Then is heard 

 the whooping of the great rock-monkeys, the bark of 

 the elk, the mournful howling of the hyena, the 

 unearthly shrieking of jackals, the trumpeting of 



