A POT-HUNTER'S DEFIANCE 73 



* 'But you 're not so hungry as all that, are you ? ' ' 

 the stranger persisted. ' ' There 's hardly a mouth- 

 ful in the two eggs together. ' ' 



Shan made an indignant movement. 



"Who wants to eat them?" he retorted. ''I 

 want them for my collection. ' ' 



The word aroused the stranger's interest. 



' '■ You have a collection ? " he asked, with the easy 

 disregard of the expert for the amateur. 



<<IVe got over eighty species," Shan an- 

 swered crisply. He was proud of his collection 

 and did not want it made light of in the presence 

 of Ned Thompson. But he was not prepared for 

 the stranger's sudden change of tone from casual 

 interest to keen attention. 



"How do you know what species they are?" 



"From the book." 



"You have a book on birds' eggs?" 



Shan explained the lone volume of the Encyclo- 

 pedia. 



"And you've positively identified eighty spe- 

 cies in this neighborhood ? ' ' 



"More than that." 



"But that's a splendid record!" exclaimed the 

 stranger. 



He turned to the game warden. 



