TWO YOUNG NATURALISTS. 225 



" Certainly, cerrr-tainly," replied the voice. 



" Yes certainly," said Bene, in a way to be heard 

 by the mysterious interlocutor. " I must admit I 

 am no ornithologist ; I know that well, but I can 

 at any rate give a piece of good advice when 

 necessary. It is not well to mock me." 



" Per-haps, well, must see ! " replied the voice, 

 drawling in an unmerciful manner. 



This time Uncle Bob no longer kept silence. 



" One of two things : either I am getting silly or 

 some ill-mannered person is mocking us ; unless, in- 

 deed, we may be in some haunted house," he added, 

 in the tone of a man who is very sceptical about such 

 kinds of witchcraft. 



"Neither one nor the other, Major," said the 

 keeper by way of excuse. " I had put Jacob out of 

 the way, and now he is taking his revenge. The 

 best thing I can do is to introduce the culprit to 

 you." 



He opened the door. 



"Now then, come along, Jacob ; come in, come 

 in," and through the half-open door there hopped 

 in a magnificent raven, of a deep blue-black colour. 



A triple burst of laughter greeted his entrance. 



"But it is really a learned bird, a phenomenal 

 creature, and worth more than all the menagerie at 

 Touques ! Come here, Jacob, come here, then ! " 



And each " come here " was accompanied by a 

 Q 



