VI.— THE TAILOR-BIED. 



" Singer and Tailor am I." — Rifling. 

 Herein, and in the pretty stanza that follows, our 

 poet sadly flatters the Tailor-bird, for any one who 

 waits to hear " Durzee " sing will have much the 

 same experience as Mark Twain's young pilgrim in 

 Palestine, who was discovered waiting patiently for 

 a vocal efEort on the part of a mud-turtle, on the 

 strength of the text " the voice of the turtle is heard 

 in the land." Singer our small cock-tailed friend is 

 not, though his note is something astonishing for 

 loudness, and gives reason, as has been justly 

 remarked, for thankfulness that the elephant does not 

 possess a voice in like proportion. Orthotomus sutorius. 



