THE NEST IN THE OLD OAK 105 



things they learnt from them. The artful 

 old birds taught them the difference 

 between a farm labourer with a hoe or 

 rake and the same man with a gun ; they 

 found out that it was never wise to fly 

 low over a thick hedge without first 

 looking on the other side. They learnt 

 the difference between a Stoat and a Rat, 

 and that it was never wise to attack the 

 former, while the latter could be killed 

 if the bird got the first blow in with its 

 powerful beak. Their parents taught them 

 never to search for food close to a hedge, 

 without continually looking through, and 

 that it was not wise to remain too long 

 in a corner of a field. All the tricks 

 known to older birds they were proficient 

 in by the time the autumn approached, 

 and then their parents thought it was time 

 to send them out into the world so that 

 they were not dependent upon them in 

 any way. After the harvest had all been 

 gathered in, and the stubble had turned 



