NUTMEG WOODS. 
61 
see at home, the rich colours being quite lost in 
drying. Now and then we met a gatherer, a 
picturesque object in his bright clothing among 
the green foliage. With a pole jointed like a 
fishing-rod he nips the stalk of the ripe nuts 
by two claw-like prongs with which the tip of 
his rod is armed, when they drop into a little 
basket-like cage worked to the stem some inches 
below, We stopped him to look at his creel 
full of the ripe fruit. The shining chestnut- 
brown nut, broiderecl with the deep scarlet 
mace, nestles in the half- open pale yellow 
shell, and is indeed a thing of beauty. The 
nutmeg is the favourite food of the large 
pigeons we heard booming their note in the 
quiet woods. These pigeons are frequently 
seen tame about homesteads, and are very 
pretty creatures. They are rather larger than 
a guinea-fowl, but not so large as a pea-hen, 
while the shape is quite that of a pigeon. The 
plumage is a deep slate grey, with a tinge 
towards bluish -purple, and a tuft of fine deli- 
cate feathers gives it its name of crown pigeon. 
By the shore, just on the wharf, are the 
depots from which the fruits and mace are 
despatched, with wood-yards where the packing- 
eases are made. The cases are all of one size, 
