ut quickly in his
mouth, swelling out his jaw in a comical manner while his little, sharp
eyes were watching the other monkey. But alas! the old tyrant rushed
down upon him, took the sugar out of his mouth, and put it in his own,
and slapped the little one he had robbed right and left.

"Oh, it is certainly a shame," said Fritz, and he took off his hat, and
put it under his arm while he wiped his heated forehead; when in a flash
the little monkey he had so pitied rushed down, grasped his hat, drew it
through the rungs and was up on the branches almost before Fritz knew it
was gone.

"Oh, Aunt Fanny, he took my hat while I was looking at the big one
eating the sugar. Oh, see! he is tearing off the blue ribbon band, and
biting pieces out of the rim and dropping them down for the little
monkeys," and tears rolled down Fritz's cheeks.

The keeper, hearing the laughter, came at once, and with a pole knocked
the hat out of the monkey's hands, and although many little black
fingers clutched it as it lay a second on the floor, it was brought to
the rungs by the pole and Fritz secured it. But little remained of the
rim, and what there was of it was ragged; and when he put it on, peals
of laughter from the spectators sent him crying to his aunt. But alas!
she too was laughing, and the boy felt that his last friend had gone
over to the enemy.

"Oh, little Fritz!" she said, trying in vain to look sympathizing and
serious, "there is one kind of bird they can add to their collection
to-day and that is the _pechrogel,_ for surely you, poor child, are that
unlucky bird. But never mind; your luck will change; your Pixy will come
back, and I will buy you a new straw hat."

"Yes, but we must go away from here. It makes me sick to see the people
laughing at me."

"Yes, we will go and see the birds. That is my favorite place in all the
garden."

On their way, they passed the cage where serpents of every kind were
twisting and squirming about, among them the terrible boa-constrictor,
and the python; but Mrs. Steiner could not look at them, and asked the
boys to stay but a little while, but they could halt at the tanks of the
South American alligator, the rhinoceros, the great turtle, and the
hippopotamus; all animals which the boys had never seen except in
pictures and were of wonderful interest to them.

The bird enclosure was truly an attractive place. Among the branches
overhead were many kinds of small birds singing, chirping a