294 
LAND OF SUNSHINE 
light hail on the roof, or the side-walk, or the hard ground 
anywhere, and looking up see no cloud. The thin, sweet pulp 
under the red skin of the berry is the only edible part, and 
meal-time seems never to end. We induce these tourists to 
remain in our grounds a little longer than elsewhere by saving 
up a few bushels of the pepper clusters, after the first autumn 
wind, for their banqueting after they have stripped the trees. 
Now these spicy berries may serve as a sort of spring altera¬ 
tive to these robins and wax-wings. This may prove a point 
worthy of notice by our local physicians. It was by noting 
the fondness of the bobolink for the poke-berry, or phytolacca, 
that a famous “anti-fat” remedy w r as discovered. The bobo¬ 
link, fattened into the “butter-bird” by high living in the 
grain fields and the rice swamps, betook himself to the poke- 
berry and thereby reduced his adipose tissue. But he knew 
better than to poison himself by too big a dose. 
Perhaps the wax-wing is the most beautiful of our tourists 
in color and form. The difference between the sexes of this 
bird (as of the robin) is in the shading of tints only. Both 
male and female possess the “sealing-wax” tips to the wing 
and tail feathers. Of what use these are, save as ornament, 
cannot be conjectured. The crest, which the bird lifts when 
curious or happy, and depresses when frightened or cross, is 
peculiar, and a wonder to all admirers. The crest of the wax¬ 
wing makes him as conspicuous a tourist as the traveler from 
Philadelphia, who wears his stove-pipe hat on the streets of 
Los Angeles, well nigh losing it over backward in his attempts 
to peer into the blossoming top of a blue gum. 
Aububon’s warbler is another of our tourists. The upper 
parts are bluish ash streaked with black. A spot of yellow is 
on the crown, the rump, the throat, and each side of the 
breast. The belly and under tail-coverts are white. The grey 
wings have a white edging, and the whole length of the bird 
is about five and a half inches. It breeds northward and in 
Alpine regions. Its note is very sweet and not intrusive. 
The intermediate sparrow comes early and sta3^s late. We 
see them in large flocks. They love to stay about the stables 
and chicken houses to feed on the grains. Nothing so good 
as cookies for them, if one will take the trouble to give them 
crumbs. They will fly away with a large piece and thank you 
as they fly. They and the towhees are great friends and may 
be seen together around the woodpile and the bamboo 
bunches, whirring away with a great noise if disturbed, but 
returing immediately. Their song is very sweet, the bird 
sometimes twittering between mouthfuls as it picks up the 
cracked corn, with the hens. They will perch on the edge of 
the bran-pail while the cream-colored Jersey takes her lunch, 
and pick the bits from her face. They may be recognized by 
