ii6 Our Bird Friends. 



moths on an averao^e live times an hour, her 

 shortest absence beino' live niinutes, and her longest 

 thirty. She divided her catcli very impartially 

 every two visits out of three ; and Avhen 1 laid a 

 dead humble bee beside the nest she promptly 

 removed it to a safe distance. ^\llilst she was 

 standing watching her chicks it was a bad day 

 for any blue-bottle or other tly that came near, 

 for she at once dashed after it. Anotbcr Lark 

 tried hard to get a peep at hei" chihh-cn, but she 

 drove the incpiisitive intruder olf in a great outburst 

 of fury. One morning a hcaxy thunderstorm crept 

 up, and as I was not bkely to get very wet in my 

 artilicial rubbish-heap tixcvl wiihiu lliree feet of the 

 birds' home, I stayed to see what she would do to 

 protect her offspring frou] a wetting. Directly the 

 rain commenced to fall she hastened back, disposed 

 of her catcli of caterpillars, and sitting down upon 

 the nest Avith wings spread out a little and bead to 

 Avindward she prepared to face the conung storm. 

 Tlie lightning Hashed, and tlie thunder rattled and 

 thumped, but she never once moved a muscle. l>y- 

 and-by the rain increased to a perfect deluge, but 

 she took not the slightest noti(.'e of it beyond 

 closing her eyes and sipping in the water which 

 ran down her bill. When the stc)rm was over she 

 tiew away, looking hke a drowned rat. The sun 

 innnediateiy shone out again bright and hot, and, 

 to my surprise, the brave bird Avas back again in 

 fifteen minutes by my Avatch Avith a fresh su])[)ly 



