74 WITH THE U. S. NATURALISTS 



''Going a bit too fast, weren't you?" he said, re- 

 provingly. 



Shan looked at him suspiciously a moment, then, 

 seeing that the new-comer's appreciation was gen- 

 uine, his eyes lightened. 



**Have you any other Chuck-Will 's-Widow eggs 

 in your collection ! ' ' the city man asked. 



''Of course not," said Shan, "I wouldn't need 

 these if I had." 



The stranger nodded appreciatively and the boy 

 realized that he had found a friend. 



"Eggs aren't worth much in a collection," he 

 said, "unless they're properly dated and labeled. 

 How do you go about it ? " 



"I'll show you," said Shan, losing his self -con- 

 sciousness, "if you'll hold my turtle a minute." 



The stranger smiled at the offer, but seeing that 

 the lad was in earnest, he reached out and took the 

 terrapin by the tail. Shan, then, pulled out from 

 his pocket an old five-cent note-book and the stub 

 of a pencil, licked the point and wrote toilsomely, 

 but legibly, 



"April 10. Weather — sunny. Bird — Chuck- 

 Will 's-Widow. Nest — open ground under swamp 

 bay tree, eggs lying on faded leaves. Clutch — two. 

 Color — white, lilac marks and brown spots. Ob- 



