althy. That is why I do not irrigate the
fields oftener than is absolutely necessary. Anything approaching
swampy, or even wet lands, in a climate like this, would be almost
certain to breed malaria. Besides, we should be eaten alive by
mosquitoes. No, I shall certainly not try rice. Other tropical
productions I shall some day give a trial to. Ginger, vanilla, and other
things would no doubt flourish here. I do not believe that any of them
would give an extraordinary rate of profit, for though land is cheap,
labour is scarce. Still it would be interesting, and would cause a
little variety and amusement in our work, which is always an important
point, and no doubt there would be generally some profit, though
occasionally we may make a total failure.'

Very often at daybreak the girls would go down with their brothers to
the river, and watch the waterfowl on its surface; they were so amusing
as they dabbled and played in the water, unsuspicious of danger. Their
favourites, though, were the beautiful scarlet flamingoes, with their
slender legs, and their long, graceful necks, and whose great employment
seemed to be to stand quiet in the water, where it was only two or three
inches deep, and to preen their glossy red feathers. Over and over again
the girls wished that they could get a few waterfowl, especially
flamingoes, to tame them, in order that they might swim on the dam pond
and come and be fed; and the boys had several talks with each other as
to the most practicable way of capturing some of them. At last they
thought of making a sort of enclosure of light boughs, with an entrance
into which birds could easily pass, but through which they could not
easily return, and to scatter grain up to and into the enclosure, to
entice the birds to enter. On explaining this plan to Mr. Hardy, he
said that he had no doubt that it would succeed in capturing birds, but
that when caught it would be impossible to tame full-grown wild fowl,
and that the only plan was to find their nests, and take the eggs or
very young birds. This they determined to do; and as the bushes close to
the river were too thick to permit an examination from the shore, they
started one morning early, and, going down to the river, entered it, and
waded along for a considerable distance. They discovered two swans'
nests, and several of different descriptions of ducks. In some the birds
were sitting upon their eggs, in others the young brood were just
hatched, an