A Wary Mother 195 



the top of that old fallen spruce would be a 

 likely place; try it, Harry." 



I went to the spruce top and peered in but 

 could see nothing; then I struck with my axe 

 helve, and the female partridge ran quickly 

 from the underbrush, and flew away into the 

 deep woods. 



" There, what did I tell you? " exclaimed 

 Ben exultantly. " Now let's see what we can 

 find." 



We poked away the thick branches and 

 found the nest, with eight eggs in it. 



" She hasr/t got done laying yet," said 

 Ben. " She will have anywhere from ten to 

 fifteen eggs when she has finished." 



" Ben," I said, all excitement, " I have got 

 a plan; let's wait until she has set upon the 

 eggs for a while and when they are almost 

 ready to hatch let's put my bantam on the 

 eggs and let her finish hatching them, and see 

 if the partridge chicks won't claim her for 

 their mother and we will have a brood of 

 young partridges to raise." 



" How shall we keep Mrs. Partridge from 



