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Fritz and I started one morning with the donkey to bring home the sledge and the remainder of the gourd vessels. We had not proceeded far when we came upon a singular-looking object built around the trunk of a tree and looking like a large umbrella. I saw at once that the formation consisted of a great number of nests, built by a colony of birds, who appeared to be living together in perfect harmony.

Each pair had its own nest; in fact, this curious construction was like a town full of houses, all under one roof, formed of straw and moss, and sloping down from the trunk of the tree like the cover of an umbrella. The branches of the tree overshadowed and partly concealed the colonial residence, enabling the little creatures to skip in and out of their nest entrances without attracting much attention.

The number of the feathered inhabitants greatly astonished me; for they took alarm at our approach, and flew

1 See note on page 260.

2 Find the definition and pronunciation of these words in the vocabulary.

around us, chattering angrily, and evidently ready to repel with thousands of beaks any attack on their community.

While observing with admiration this wonderful proof of bird instinct, I was surprised to see a species of small parrot enter some of the nests, causing a great commotion among the colonists. Fritz, who very much wished to secure a live parrot, threw his gun on the ground and climbed the tree. On reaching the nearest branch, he seized it with one hand, while he thrust the other into the nearest nest opening; it was empty.

He tried another, with the same result. The third time he was rewarded for his boldness, for, while feeling the soft feathers of birds in the nest, a hard, seed-cracking beak seized his finger, and obliged him quickly to withdraw his hand, and cry out with pain as he shook it in the air. But he had not lost his hold on the bough, and thrusting his hand again into the nest, and seizing the lovely biter, he brought him out in spite of his screams. Fritz was highly delighted with his prize, which proved to be a kind of sparrow-parrot, with beautiful green plumage. He placed it in his pocket to take home

and teach to talk.

As we continued our journey, our conversation naturally turned on the social instinct of these birds, and the skill they displayed in building. Fritz asked if there were other creatures with similar powers, and if it could be the result of instinct.

"Beavers," I replied, " build a village, in which a large number live together in great sociability. Bees, wasps,

and ants also possess this social instinct."

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"Ah, yes, papa, I have watched the ants. It is a most amusing sight."

"If the ants of our native country have interested you," I said, "what would be your astonishment at those of other lands! They build for their eggs a kind of oven, or nest, from four to six feet high, and nearly as broad, with walls and roof so hard that neither rain nor sunshine can penetrate it. In it are streets, galleries, and store-cellars, and it is so firmly built that with little change it might be used as a baking-oven for man."

While conversing thus, we reached some trees quite unknown to us. They were from forty to sixty feet in height, and from the bark, which was cracked in some places, issued balls of thick gum. It was with difficulty that Fritz got one of them off. He tried to soften it with his hand as we proceeded on our journey, but found that heat only gave it the power of extension, and that on being released it resumed its first form.

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'Look, papa!" he exclaimed, "I am sure the trees we took for wild figs are caoutchouc trees, and that this is india-rubber."

"That would be a valuable discovery to us," I replied.

"Why, can any use be made of the rubber except to remove pencil marks?"

"Oh, yes! the sap of the caoutchouc tree is used fo very many articles that will be of great service to us.”

We now reached the cocoanut wood, and it occurred to me to look for one of those most valuable trees called the sago palm. I noticed presently a large trunk broken down by the wind, in which I found sap of a floury nature exactly resembling European sago. A grove of sugar-canes lay in our homeward way, and not to return emptyhanded, we gathered a large bundle of the sweet dainty, not forgetting to refresh ourselves.

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Candle-making to-day!" exclaimed the boys, when they rose next morning; and they gave me no rest till I promised to attempt to make candles of the wax-plant berries.

We filled a saucepan and, placing it over the fire, produced in a little time a considerable quantity of beautiful green wax. While melting the berries, we prepared a number of wicks from threads of sail-cloth, dipped them quickly and carefully in the wax, and then hung them in the air to dry. This operation we repeated two or three times, till the wicks had taken sufficient wax to form candles. Although they were far inferior in roundness and size to those at home, they threw around us such a clear, bright light, that we were overjoyed with the results.

There would be no occasion now for us to go to bed. at sunset, for this light would serve us in our tree-castle apartment in a most convenient manner.

This success encouraged me to make an attempt of another description. Among the articles on board the ship we found no churn. I therefore resolved to try a plan, a description of which I had read. I chose the largest of our calabash bottles, and, after filling it half full of cream, closed it tightly. Then I placed four stakes in the ground, tied to them a piece of sail-cloth by the four corners, and laid the bottle upon it. At each side I stationed one of the boys, and desired them to roll it backwards and forwards, by alternately raising the cloth, so as to keep it in constant agitation.

This performance proved capital fun; and the boys kept it up with jokes and laughter for more than half an hour, when I opened the bottle, and found, to our great joy, that some really good butter had been churned.

Another and much more difficult undertaking was on my mind, which for a long time had seemed impracticable. The sledge was not only inconvenient, but very heavy for our animals to draw; and as we had brought four cart wheels from the wreck, I wished to construct a little cart.

I determined to try what I could do, and after some difficulty succeeded in constructing a sort of carriage which, though not elegant in appearance, would, I knew, be very useful.

In the meantime my family at Tent House were employed daily in planting the European fruit trees which I had brought from the wreck. The vines were placed near

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