62 WITH THE U. S. NATURALISTS 



left and right. Suddenly he halted in his tracks, 

 fixing his eyes on a spot of the forest floor where 

 it seemed to him he had seen something alive. 



He stared at the spot steadily and intently, but 

 found no confirmation of his first idea. At least, 

 nothing moved. 



Shan was woods-wise enough to have learned 

 that the eye is only a moderately good organ, and 

 that it is quite possible to look direct at a thing 

 and not see it. He was familiar with the old In- 

 dian trick of squinting at an obscure object, and, 

 Avithout taking his eyes off the suspected point, he 

 turned his head slowly round. 



Like a view on a dissolving lantern slide, the 

 form of a Chuck- Will 's-Widow sitting on her nest 

 leaped into sight. 



Slowly Shan turned his head back and stared 

 full at the bird. 



There was nothing to be seen ! 



The boy was not more than ten feet away and 

 though the Chuck-Will's-Widow is a big bird, a 

 foot in length, he could not see a sign of her, mo- 

 tionless on the open ground. 



Again he turned his head slightly away and 

 looked at the bird a-squint. 



Yes, there she sat, almost exactly the same color 



