had found a woodcock's nest, a rare thing, 

 he said, for though he had roamed the woods 

 so much, and shot hundreds of the birds 

 in season, he had never yet chanced upon a 

 nest. Next day he went with me, to see the 

 eggs, he said ; but, as I think of it now, it was 

 probably with a view of locating the brood 

 accurately for the August shooting. As we 

 rounded the end of the fallen stub the wood- 

 cock's confidence deserted her at sight of the 

 stranger, and she slipped away noiselessly into 

 the leafy shadows. Then we saw her four 

 eggs, very big at one end, very little at the 

 other, and beautifully colored and spotted. 



Natty, who was wise in his way, merely 

 glanced at the nest and then drew me aside 

 into hiding, and before w r e knew it, or had 

 even seen her approach, Mother Woodcock 

 was brooding her eggs again. Then Natty, 

 who had doubted one part of my story, whis- 

 pered to me to go out; and the bird never 

 stirred as I crept near on hands and knees 

 and touched her as before. 



A few minutes later we crept away softly, 

 and Natty took me to the swamp to show 



