BROWSINGS IN OTHER FIELDS. 237 



trill of a white-throated sparrow, sounding like the 

 music of an angel amid a tumult of imps. 



Near the centre of the garden there is a long 

 pond enclosed by wire fencing, and on and about 

 this pond is to be found an interesting group of 

 water-fowls. There was a large bluish-colored crane 

 with a ruff of feathers about his head. A workman 

 came along and snapped his fingers at the bird, 

 which hopped and leaped about and almost turned 

 a somersault. A great blue heron had made a nest 

 of sticks and twigs on the bare bank of the pond, 

 and was sitting on two eggs. While I was watching 

 her, she rose slowly on her long stilts, stretched out 

 her stiffened wings, rearranged the sticks with her 

 bill, and then sat down on her eggs again, turning 

 them under her breast. What an opportunity for a 

 bird student if day by day he could have watched 

 her build her nest and rear her young ! 



Swimming about on the pond like a couple of 

 feathered craft were two great white pelicans with 

 long bills and elevated wings. A tuft of feathers or 

 bristles grew on the top of their upper mandibles. 

 They seemed to be guying each other, or probably 

 were engaged in a real naval battle ; for they pur- 

 sued each other around and around, engaged in 

 various martial movements and counter-movements, 

 and every now and then clashed together their great 

 beaks like two men fencing with swords. But they 

 avoided close contact. How lightly and smoothly 

 they glided about on the water ! 



Standing on a platform on the other side of the 



