"'Fly! fly!' cried the Bird Brothers.
'You have wings--do not look at the earth, lest you grieve to leave it.' "Gonda, being obedient, made an effort to fly above the flame, which only tinged some of her feathers red.

But Towai, loath to leave the earth, lingered so long that his feathers became all red from the flames, and the soot blackened his face.
"Though these two birds and their children still belong to the dull-brown Sparrow family, they have little peace in the forest where they live.

Towai wears a splendid red robe and is called the Cardinal, but there is a price upon his head because of his beauty.
"This is one of the legends that explains why this bird is classed with Sparrows.

The Tanager is more fiery red, and the Oriole carries flame on his back; but there is something strange about the Cardinal--he seems out of place and lonely with us.

He should belong to a tropical country and have orchids and palms for companions--but instead, where do we find him ?" "Please, Doctor," said Rap, who thought he could answer that question, "the miller's wife has a pair in a cage, but they aren't very pretty, 'cause they've scraped most of the feathers off their heads and rumpled their tails, trying to get out.