to leafy sprays;
Boughs where the thrush, with crimson breast,
Shall haunt and sing and hide her nest."

The teacher, who had long since stopped trying to make the lesson
interesting, found herself saying mechanically, "What other birds have
their nests in the apple-tree?"

The boy shifted lazily from one foot to the other as he began, "The
sparrow, the robin, and wrens, and--the snow-birds and blue-jays--"

"No, they don't, blue-jays don't have nests," came the excited outburst
from some of the children, much to the surprise of the teacher.

When order was restored some of these brown-skinned children, who came
from the heart of the Virginian mountains, told this legend of the
blue-jay.

Long, long years ago, the devil came to buy the blue-jay's soul, for
which he first offered a beautiful golden ear of corn. This the blue-jay
liked and wanted badly, but said, "No, I cannot take it in exchange for
my soul." Then the devil came again, this time with a bright red ear of
corn which was even more lovely than the golden one.

This, too, the blue-jay refused. At last the devil came to offer him a
wonderful blue ear. This one the blue-jay liked best of all, but still
was unwilling to part with his soul. Then the devil hung it up in the
nest, and the blue-jay found that it exactly matched his own brilliant
feathers, and knew at once that he must have it. The bargain was quickly
made. And now in payment for that one blue ear of corn each Friday the
blue-jay must carry one grain of sand to the devil, and sometimes he
gets back on Sunday, but oftener not until Monday.

Very seriously the children added, "And all the bad people are going to
burn until the blue-jays have carried all the grains of sand in the
ocean to the devil."

The teacher must have smiled a little at the legend, for the children
cried out again, "It is so. 'Deed it is, for doesn't the black spot on
the blue-jay come because he gets his wings scorched, and he doesn't
have a nest like other birds."

Then, to dispel any further doubts the teacher might have, they asked
triumphantly, "You never saw a blue-jay on Friday, did you?"

There was no need to answer, for just then the gong sounded and the
children trooped happily out to play.

DAVID LIVINGSTONE

BENJAMIN BRAWLEY

When Livingstone began his work of exploration in 1849, practically all
of Africa between the Sahara and the Dutch settlements in the extreme
South was unknown terr