halting.

"Yes," I replied; "it seems as if the yellow leaves had already felt the
autumnal winds."

"There's a dead tree," said my friend; "I feel sure, if we examine its
bark, we shall find some insects of our own country."

My friend's hopes were not realized, and the only result of his search
was to disturb the rest of two mice with slender muzzles. One of them
escaped, while the other tried its best to protect a litter of five
little ones, buried in some fine vegetable debris. Lucien examined the
young ones with interest, and after replacing the bark, as far as
possible, in its original position, rejoined us outside the wood. A
descent so rapid that we could scarcely keep our balance brought us
among a quantity of bushes covered with double thorns, which Lucien very
justly compared to bulls' horns in miniature. At last the ground became
more level, and, directing our course to the right, we turned into a
plain, surrounded by woods.

"Both trees and plants seem larger here than on the mountains," said
Lucien.

"You are quite right," answered Sumichrast; "the vegetation in the
_Terre-Chaude_ is more vigorous than that of the _Terre-Temperee_. As
you advance farther into it, you will be able to judge."

"Did you see that great insect that flew buzzing past us?"

"Yes, Master Sunbeam; but it was a humming-bird, not an insect."

"A humming-bird!" cried the boy, at once unfolding his butterfly-net.

And off he went in pursuit of the fugitive. The agile bird made a
thousand turns, and always kept out of reach of the young sportsman, who
at last stopped suddenly in front of a shrub. When I joined him, he was
contemplating three little nests, fixed in forked branches, and covered
outside with green and yellow lichens.

"There's the bird!" said Lucien, in a low voice.

I lifted up the little naturalist; two hen-birds flew off, and at the
bottom of each nest he could see a couple of eggs of a greenish color,
and about the size of a pea.

"If you hold me a little closer, papa, I can take the eggs."

"What would be the good, my boy? Look at them as long as you like, but
don't deprive the little birds of what is most dear to them."

"There's one bird which has not moved," observed Lucien.

"Then, no doubt, its little ones are hatched."

"The whole of its body seems to glitter; it looks as if it was blue,
green, and gold color. It sees me, and is moving. Now it is perched upon
the tree! Only look, papa! there a