$$ THE GARDEN BOOK OF CALIFORNIA ^|§ 



van Tassel," who has been in the family for years and has 

 the blue blood of a patrician Maltese family in her veins. 

 Katrina always promises reform, and has a soft caressing 

 way of professing her penitence that is very beguiling, but 

 every spring the same story of stealthy crime is repeated. 

 The mocking-bird will build over the gateway in the honey- 

 suckle hedge, and with all my watchfulness, Katrina tries 

 for a taste of young mockers before they can fly. There 

 are reasons for not parting with Katrina. There always 

 are reasons, you know, for granting a reprieve to the guilty 

 one, but still I'll confess that Katrina is a great trial at times, 

 nesting season particularly. 



When the trees are grown higher, I think the mocking- 

 bird will choose to build higher. I have warned him fre- 

 quently that it would be safer. Trees, plenty of them, and 

 of different varieties, will attract the birds even more than 

 shrubs or flowers. In this country, the eucalyptus seems to 

 be a favorite abiding-place for many birds. The hum- 

 ming-birds are especially fond of the honey-laden Eucalyp- 

 tus robusta. The heavy white flowers have in each one a 

 drop of honey-dew that delights the little swift-winged 

 hummer. Sometimes I have seen ten or twelve with ruby 

 throats and dun colors flashing about one tree. 



The humming-birds are invariably attracted by brilliant- 

 hued flowers in the garden, red and yellow trumpet-shaped 

 flowers seeming to prove most attractive. Wherever there 

 are climbing roses, too, you may look for their presence. 

 In the largest rose bush in the world, which climbs over the 



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