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hen, more especially, became a regular little termagant, 

 and clearly appreciates the advice given to a young 

 Frenchman by his father on going to England. Tu es 

 bete, et tu n'est pas beau, sois insolent, c'est ta seule 

 chance. She, at any rate, acted on this advice; in 

 fact she simply cleared one end of the aviary, and no 

 other bird dared go near. If they ever did, they were 

 received with an angry rush and a sound like that 

 emitted by an exaggerated and very angry bumble bee. 



The spot selected for the nest was, to my eyes, 

 about the most unlikely that could have been chosen ; 

 right up against the aviary south window, in the full 

 glare of a July sun. The nest itself is a most lovely 

 structure ; so fine and cobwebby that the light shines 

 through it, and yet at the same time intensely strong. 

 It is composed of fibres on the outside, lined inside 

 with hair combings wiiicli I got out of the bedrooms. 

 It was constructed very high up in a bush, near the 

 roof of the aviar3^ So terrible was the glare from the 

 sun that I felt that something must be done to protect 

 the nest, eggs, hen. and young when hatched, or there 

 would be no results, only hard-boiled eggs at best. I 

 accordingly nailed a large bit of felt over the glass of 

 the window outside ; a thoughtful attention, I hope 

 appreciated by the little hen. At any rate, it did not 

 disturb her in any way. The nest was finished in about 

 three days, and the eggs duly deposited. Birds, we are 

 told, like their nests examined and the eggs taken out, 

 but I'm a bit like the Scotchman who said of himself, 

 " I'm open to conviction, but I'm a dour devil to con- 

 vince." I should just like to have taken a " pep " as we 

 say up here, but at the imminent risk of something 

 inside giving way under the strain, I restrained my- 

 self, and was rewarded later on, as you shall hear in 

 due course. 



Every morning when I entered the aviary I used 

 to send search lights of scrutiny around, and was 



