And she said to him, “It was a true report that I heard of you in my own land, of your wisdom and of your glory.  Only that which now I know and see is greater than what I heard.  Happy are thy men and happy are thy servants who stand continually before thee and hear thy wisdom.”

And she gave the King a hundred and twenty talents of gold, which was a very rich treasure, besides great store of spices, and the most precious gifts; no one had ever seen such gifts as the Queen of Sheba gave to Solomon.

But he in turn was even more generous.  For he gave to the fair Balkis all that she desired and everything she asked, because he admired so much this splendid Queen of whom the Hoopoe had first told him.

And so, the Bible says, the Queen of Sheba turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.  But the Mussulmans’ tales say that in later days she married Solomon and they lived happily ever after.  And it was all the work of that little Hoopoe with a yellow crown, whom after that we may be sure Solomon loved better than ever.

THE PIOUS ROBIN

“Art thou the bird whom man loves best,
The pious bird with the scarlet breast,
Our little English Robin?”
WORDSWORTH.

The English Robin is not precisely like our little American friend whom we call by that name, although, as the lines of poetry quoted above will show, in two ways he is the same as ours:  he has a red breast, and he is the bird whom every one loves.  Of all the little brothers of the air, in every land and clime, the pretty, jolly, neighborly Robin Redbreast is the favorite.

There are many stories about him:  some which tell how he came by his scarlet breast, others which explain why he has always been best beloved of the birds.  I have already told how he helped the Wren to bring fire to men.  Every one knows how tenderly he covered with leaves the poor Babes in the Wood, when they had been deserted even by their nearest of kin.  Some have heard about Saint Kentigern, and how he restored to life the pious Robin of his master Servan,—­the dear little bird who used to sing psalms every morning in the Saint’s company.  Some also know about the Robin who brought the wheat-ear in his bill to the poor brothers in Brittany who had no grain to plant for their future harvest.  All these tales show the Robin’s generous heart, cheerful nature, and pious devotion, which make him beloved by men.  But perhaps you do not know why he is called God’s own bird.

    “The Robin and the Wren
    Are God’s cock and hen,”

sing the little English children, and they think it is very wicked to injure one of the holy birds or make her unhappy by robbing her nest of its pretty eggs.

This is why the Robin is called the good bird, God’s bird.  The oldest stories say that the little Christ-child used to feed most tenderly the Robins who hopped about the door of His mother’s house, for they were dearest of all to His baby heart.  Perhaps He thus early learned to love them because His mother had told Him of the service which the dear little birds had once performed for her.