e and went into a corner--ashamed and weeping. Was
not that a sweet victory? I wish some little sisters or brothers
would try it. You may believe me this is truth. Some future day I
will tell you how I made him some toys.--Yours,

FRED.

EDIBLE NESTS.

Did you ever hear of such an article of food as bird's-nest soup? Well,
this soup does not take its name from its looks, as bird's-nest pudding
gets its title, but it is actually made from real birds'-nests.

In the island of Java, I'm told, there is a species of sea-swallow
which makes a nest much like that of our chimney-swallow, and fastens it
to the rocky walls of caves. These nests are made almost entirely of a
glue-like substance, mixed with a little grass or hair and a few sticks,
and they are carefully gathered and sent to China, where they are sold
as food.

The nests are soaked in water until the glue becomes soft, when the
sticks and straws are picked out and thrown away. The jelly which
remains is then dried and preserved, to be used in making the
bird's-nest soup. This is considered a great delicacy, and the nests are
sold in the Chinese markets for twenty-five dollars a pound. Of course,
at this price, none but rich folks can indulge in them, and they are
therefore a very fashionable dish. Although they are usually made into
soup, they are sometimes cooked in other ways.

[Illustration: JAVA SEA-SWALLOWS AND NESTS.]

It's my opinion that the nest of the chimney-swallow might be used as
food in the same way; for although it has more sticks and hay in it than
the edible nest, there is a good deal of glue, too, and each nest might
yield quite a large pot of soup. If the time shall ever come when our
own country will have as many people in it as there are in China at the
present time, many things little thought of now will be turned to use as
articles of food. But at present there is no need of robbing the birds;
so let them keep cheerful while they may, poor dears!

BIRD RAILROAD-TRAVELERS.

Now that we're talking about birds'-nests, I may as well tell you some
news that has come to me all the way from East Cosham, in Hampshire,
England.

On a small piece of frame-work under a third-class "smoking" carriage on
the London and South-Western Railway, a water-wagtail built her nest and
reared a young and thriving family of four. The train traveled regularly
about forty miles a day, and the station-master at East Cosham says
that,