The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-02-11

The terrified reptiles at once take fright at
this horrible sight, and dart IN haste llr, the
hillside, to take refuge In some eonveIsiant
nook or corner safe from their dreaded
| enemy.
II. THE AIR.
s. THE DANCE OF THR nuTTHKFhIEs.
1t is holiday at the fairy court, and Mus
tara-seed and Pease-bleseom arr enjoying
themselves to their hearts content, From
the hill overlooking silver lake the
fatry prince and queen are gazing
With delight on the eambols ct their
teriiy himself. with fragile yellow wings.
He ls clad In armor, but that portion
Of his dress visible Is golden, red and white.
His fairy bride boasts of the came gossamer
| wings as her royal spouse and In her hand
bears butterays wand.
Floating upon the bosom OF the lake are
number OF large lily leaves, and on these four
OF the ineeet subjects of the fairy queen,
two butterflies, a wasp and moth are dane
ing gaily In a circle, hand In hand. The wasp
Ia a magician, with long curled whiskers like
a Mephistopheles and an evil, treaeherous,
revengefui look on hls face. Hls dress is
let such as the exquisites of Elizabeths court
long, thin and poisoned rapler, whose ellght-
est touch, II not instant death, is at east q se-
riOus and painful wound. Moth ls a hairy,
shrveed, wrlnkled old mlser, who loved
nothing better than to get In q box OF treas
ured iaces and carry Off half OF them In
pieces. But who can describe the Butterflies,
| with all the grace OF sunbeams and boastinR
Of every hue of the rainbow; or, better slmie
still, OF every color that the fashionable
peacock" dress Of to-day contains.
Z. BIRDS OF PREY.
Upon a retired hillside the birds are met In
solemn concave to determine great and
vexed question, over which we humans In
other forms have been ponderin1 for hun
dreds Of years which came frst, the bird or
the egg? An Eagle, as king Of the Birds liz
seated alone and solitary upon rocky ledge,
waiting to pass Judgment On the case when
the arguments have been heard on both sides
The other birds have eongragated around q
nest wherein are two white eggs. at which
they stare, deep, evidently, In ponderous
thought. The Owl ls az grave and solemn as
betlts the bird that rests on Pallas's shoul-
der. 1t rolls ts round, saucer eyes as II
deeply Immersed In profound oogitatlon and
ready to break the silence with some observa-
tion OF such wisdom az will at once enlighten
all and finish all discussion and debate. A
vulture with naked neck looking for all
the world like an underdone beefsteak, and q
pete the group. An ugly Bat stands In lot
OF palmetto bushes In the corner his mind
still undecided, as It has been since Tsop's
days. whether he will claim kinship with the
i g. FINE FEATHERED BIRDS.
In Provence, OF old, the land of poetry and
! OF love, there we're held In the days OF that
royal troubadour. the good King Rene, beau-
ty tournaments at which the gallant Pro-
vencal knights entered each the lady Of his
love as the greatest beauty OF Chratendom,
and declared his readiness to maintain her
excellence on the field either Of Mars or
Minerva, with odes or with the lance. just
such q tournament the feathered denizena Of
the air are now holdnK-a festival where
vanity reigns supreme, and where each 6trd
seeks to outvie its neighbor In the richness Of
ita apparel.
Would that there was Jenkins here to de-
| scribe the brilliant scene this ballroom pre-
eents Palms. lilies and the choicest flowers
are scattered around and lend the sweetest
perfumes to the air.
But the drpssea, who can pictureor describe
thani2 Miss Golden Pheasant from China has
the tamest costume In that whole room Ia
simple robe of ptelor color, cut perfectly
plain. Miss Tufted Ooquette, OF the HumminK
Bird family. ell noted for their beauty and
their taate In dressing wears a stiff bonnet OF
golden hue, her hair combed high up, In Marie
Antoinette style. Her dress fs emerald
green, with long, sweeping train Ia Pom
black with bodice OF red and yellow. She is
seated by herself In corner, evidently neg
lected and forgotten, the walflower Of the
evening, and euiking openly because she re re-
ballroom that the two great rival bellies
meet-Miss Peafowl and Miss Bird.of-
Paradise There they encounter each other
Sf tG ali sSe e ooo saa pensnes ns each Of
fashionable ladies studying each others at
tire. Miss Peafowl's robe is green, richly
J embroidered with the eyes OF Argus, while
, that OF Miss Bird of Paradise Is also green,
though Of q prettfer shade, with q score Of
tlounoes OF every hue, red, golden and scarlet,
falling behind 1t. Which is the belle and
, beauty Of the ball2 The other birds are un-
, able to decide and break out all at once into
i | ,lotA Aff Iiccn mt moi far
be 1t known that none OF these beauties pos
, sesses the sweet gift OF musical voice. The
, Touoan's is rough and hard, the Hnmming
Bird Is mute the Pheasant can but eluck
while the Peafowl's notes are as harsh and as
, coarse as the buzz OF n circular saw.
.. A BARNARD SCENE,
1t ID a warm, lazy summer morning A ray 81
sunlight creeps through some erevice In the
window and slowly climbs up the bed until II
strikes our eyes and awakens u.s. We rDl
over in bed for another doze before that horrid
breakfast bell rings, but the shrill cock a.
doodle-doo OF the cock. the caekle OF his hens
! the Quacking of ducks bids Morpheus def
ance Kicking aside the sheet and bed quilt
| we leap out OF bed, and running to the window
glance into the neighboring barnyard. The
inhabitants Of this little world are long since
up and at their daily tasks-the main ons OF
: which is to feed themselves Dove the
very picture of melancholy lover, is leaning
|, against his empty doveeote cooling sorrow
fully for his missing mate, who has deserted
him and gone he knows not whittier. The pic
! ture of tender, thoughtful mother is the
Hen, In sober raiment clad, watching with
eager maternal eye a half-fledged chicken
just pipping from the egg. cucking with ma
: ternal vanity over her chick and declaring
that thereis not another hen In the whole barn,
yard, from Shanghai to Bantam, who pos.
sesses chick as sweet and beautisal as hel
9 own darling, with such straight yellow legs
such cosy, round, fluffy little aody. Hel
Mormon lord, Sir Chanticleer, fillal with tbs
: pride OF father and of husband ef a hundred
: wives. Is mounted proudly on the highest spo
' within reach, an overturned tus. from which
D rostrum he addresses his audience boldly de
. flying all neighboring cocks to siaGe invade hlt
, domain or cast q furtive glansa or wink upol
. any OF the faithful partners os his roost. Ane
/, when no rival answers this cfek-a- eaoodih chal
4 lenge he flaps his wings enthusiastically, de
. lighted with his superiority. None OF hi
4 fellow-fowls are inclined to challenge hi