out nails. These were soon drawn out though, the
second lid lifted, and still there was nothing to see but cotton-wool,
which, however, sent out a curious spicy smell, hot and peppery, and
mixed with camphor.

Then the treat began, for Uncle Dick removed a few layers of
cotton-wool, and there were the birds lying closely packed, and so
beautiful in plumage that we--that is, Uncle Joe and I--uttered a cry of
delight.

I had never before seen anything so beautiful, I thought, as the
gorgeous colours of the birds before me, or they seemed to be so fresh
and bright and different to anything I had seen in the museum, Uncle
Dick having taken care, as I afterwards found, to reject any but the
most perfect skins; and these were before me ready to be taken out and
laid carefully upon some boards he had prepared for the purpose, and as
I helped him I kept on asking questions till some people would have been
answered out. Uncle Dick, however, encouraged me to go on questioning
him, and I quickly picked up the names of a good many of the birds.

Now it would be a magnificent macaw all blue and scarlet. Then a
long-tailed paroquet of the most delicate green, and directly after
quite a trayful of the most lovely little birds I had ever seen. They
were about the size of chaffinches for the most part; but while some
were of the richest crimson, others were blue and green and violet, and
a dozen other shades of colour mixed up in the loveliest way.

"Now what are those, Nat?" said my uncle.

"I don't know, sir," I very naturally said.

"What would they be if they were in England and only plain-coloured?"

"Why, I should have said by their beaks, uncle, that they were finches,
and lived on seed."

"Finches they are, Nat, and you are quite right to judge them by their
beaks."

"But I didn't know that there were finches abroad, Uncle Dick," I said.

"Then you know now, my boy, and by degrees you will learn that there are
finches all over the world, and sparrows, and thrushes, and cuckoos, and
larks, and hawks, crows, and all the other birds that you find in
England."

"Why, I thought they were all different, uncle," I said.

"So most people think," he said, as he went on unpacking the birds; "the
difference is that while our British finches are sober coloured, those
of hot countries are brilliant in plumage. So are the crow family and
the thrushes, as you will see, while some of the sparrows and tits are
perfect dandies