. Two bird-lovers in Mexico . )s of branches and waving in everybreath of air. Tliey are finely woven of reeds, open-meshed, but tough and difficult to tear. A smallentrance at the toj> leads down tlirough the long, narrowneck to the olobular nest-chamber at the bottom. The morning flight of these calandria.^, as theMexicans call them, was one of the delights of ourcam])-life. Jet-black birds they were, long crested, withbrilliant yellow shoulders, lower back, and tail, save thetwo inner feathers. The ivory-like beaks were longand needle-like, as sucli a master weavers should came f
. Two bird-lovers in Mexico . )s of branches and waving in everybreath of air. Tliey are finely woven of reeds, open-meshed, but tough and difficult to tear. A smallentrance at the toj> leads down tlirough the long, narrowneck to the olobular nest-chamber at the bottom. The morning flight of these calandria.^, as theMexicans call them, was one of the delights of ourcam])-life. Jet-black birds they were, long crested, withbrilliant yellow shoulders, lower back, and tail, save thetwo inner feathers. The ivory-like beaks were longand needle-like, as sucli a master weavers should came from the northward, as if the bats of the «^. 282 ^ :::::::::*? THE TROPICS m:::: night before had been transformed by some witch-ery of the morning- sun, and were retiu-ning in thisguise. Hundreds of the yellow and black forms flashedthrough the trees, flock after flock of fifty or more,. MEXICAN CACIQUE spreading through all the woods in smaller companiesto feed. As they passed, their wings made a strange, «4 283 ^ ::::::::»? TWO BIRD-LOVERS IN MEXICO >*::::::::: whip-like, humming sound, which rose to a continuousmurmur when a large number flew past at once. As the days passed and we still camped, unharmed,in the presence of the Virgins image on the cliff, thepoor Mexicans, who came with eggs or vegetables forsale, began to hold us in high esteem. My smallmedicine-chest and bottles of formaline aroused stillgreater respect and 1 found, to my surprise, that I hadgained the reputation of being an infallible j) was pitiful to see the faith with which the i)oorMexicans and Indians brought their sick children, ortold me of their own troubles. I vowed that I knew littleor nothing of therapeutics, and that I had only the simp-lest of remedies with me. But they shook their headssadly and added a few cenfftros to the pittance whichthey had offered me, not beli
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