'But Pipelipipipah?

She shall have no scarlet decoration,' answered the angel, half angrily. 'She shall remain grey as before.'

Pipelipipipah was very much astonished, and perhaps not a little envious, when her mate returned adorned so magnificently; but it was too late for repentance to be of any use, and she has remained grey to this day.

OOK at my cones, how well shaped they are, and see how many I have for my size!' cried a straight, healthy young Pine tree who lived in Spain, to one of his neighbours. 'I hope I shall not

lose them for a long time, they add so much to my appearance.'

'Ah! but you will lose them, and very quickly too,' was the answer. 'Our enemies the Magpies will soon be here, and then it is war indeed to us and our cones.'

'Why, what will they do to us?' asked the young Pine, alarmed.

'Do? Why, open our cones, and devour the sweet young kernels, to be sure.'

But surely they are not allowed to do so much mischief without being shot sooner or later?'

'Not they;

His companion shook his needles. here in Spain, Magpies are never shot or destroyed. I don't know the reason, but so it is.'

'I know, I know,' said a very old Pine, in tones hoarse with age. 'It is because, after all, the Magpies do more good than harm to our race, for they found more than half of the pine forests. You see they are birds of an economical turn of mind; and although they are so greedy, that they take out more kernels from our cones than they can eat at one time, still they do not wish to waste them, and they therefore bury them, meaning to return for them on another occasion when short of food. In consequence, however, of their flighty natures, these birds forget the buried kernels, so that, instead of becoming food for Magpies, the seeds

take root in the ground and spring up in the form of young pines. For this reason are their lives spared.'

And must I then part with my cones to these greedy flighty Magpies?' cried the young Pine sorrowfully.

'Yes, and be thankful that you are allowed the privilege of being useful to posterity,' replied his old companion, who was the philosopher of the forest.

A little Wren, who was perched on one of the lower branches of the tree, now lifted up its small clear voice:

'You are so old and so clever, great Pine, that you must have heard many stories in your life. Tell us another one.'

6

Shall I tell you something about yourself, wee bird?' asked the old tree tenderly; for, notwithstanding his philosophy, he had a large and tender heart, and all the smallest and most timid birds were wont to frequent his branches.

Shall I tell you of your first ancestor, who outwitted the proud eagle in the contest for the crown?'

'Yes, yes,' chirped the Wren; 'I have never heard the tale.'

'It happened thus,' said the Pine. One day the birds of the air met together, and decided that it was necessary to choose a king. Then followed a long argument as to how he was to be chosen. At length the Owl suggested, that whichever bird could fly highest, that bird would be the fittest to be the sovereign of them all. The Eagle laughed in his wing on hearing this, for he felt sure of flying far above all the others. Just as they were starting, however, what did the little sly Wren do, but hop up and hide himself in the Eagle's tail. Away went the birds, up, up, up, ever higher and higher; but the Eagle soared a long way above all the rest, till, feeling too tired to fly another stroke, he called out: "Hurrah! hurrah! I am the king of the birds!" "Not