A CHARMING SPOT. Ill 



material. She did not care for my distant and 

 inoffensive presence on the earth below, and she 

 probably did not suspect the power of my glass 

 to spy upon her secrets, for she showed no dis- 

 comfiture at my frequent visits. Indeed, she 

 took pains to let me know that she had her eye 

 upon me, for twice when she left the nest she 

 swerved from her course to swoop down over my 

 head, squeaking most volubly as she passed. 



While sitting at my post of observation, my 

 neck sometimes refused to retain its unnatural 

 position a moment longer, and then I refreshed 

 myself with other objects around ; for after some 

 search I had found a charming place for study. 

 It was beside a rocky ledge which ran through 

 the middle of a bit of meadow-land, and happily 

 defied being cultivated, although it supported a 

 flourishing crop of wildings, — scattering elm, 

 oak, and pine trees, with sumac, goldenrod, 

 and other sweet things to fill up the tangle. 

 Under a low-spreading tree I placed my seat: 

 at my back the screening rocks, in front a strip 

 of meadow waiting for the mower. Along the 

 side where I entered ran a stone wall, but be- 

 fore me was a stretch of delightfully dilapi- 

 dated old board and pole fence. It had been 

 reinforced and made available for keeping out 

 undesirables by barbed wire, but at my distance 

 that was inconspicuous and did not disturb me. 



