A FLOATING COOT'S NEST. 27 



her. Towards noon it came on to blow very hard, and they 

 landed Mary and Florrie, and set to work to enjoy themselves 

 the more thoroughly as the breeze grew stronger. The boat 

 behaved admirably. She was as steady as a rock, heeling over 

 but very slightly even when the breeze blew strong on her beam. 

 She came about well, and if she hung fire or was in danger of 

 missing stays they had only to haul on the mizen-sheet, and 

 her head went round "in a jiffy." She drew little more than 

 a foot of water, so could, when her keels were drawn up, pass 

 over the shallowest part of the broad in safety. 



" I say, this is fine," said Jimmy, rubbing his hands. Frank 

 said nothing, but his kindling eye and satisfied look showed 

 how thoroughly he enjoyed it all. 



While making a long tack across the broad, they ran across 

 a straggling bed of rushes at a shallow portion. They oifered 

 but little resistance to their passage, but as they charged through 

 them, Frank cried out 



" I say, we passed over a great crested grebe's nest. I saw 

 the eggs roll out into the water;" and he ran the boat into the 

 wind and let her drift back stern foremost to the spot where 

 the nest had been. 



" It was only a lump of rotting weed, all broken and dirty," 

 said Dick. 



"' That's what all grebe's nests look like," answered Frank ; 

 " they cover them with reeds when they leave them, so that no 

 one can see the eggs, and few would think there were any 

 there. .Here's the place, drive the boat-hook in and hold the 

 boat steady while I get up the eggs. There were five, but 

 two are broken. What a pity ! We don't want any for our 

 collection, and the birds look so pretty on the broad, that it is 

 a shame to disturb them, but we must take them now I sup- 

 pose. Let's go back and see how the coot's nest is getting on.'' 



They sailed back some way, and then to their great surprise, 

 they saw the coot's nest floating across the broad, and the old 

 bird swimming round it, and evidently very much puzzled to 

 know what to do. 



" Let us tack near her and watch," said Jimmy. So they 

 sailed round at a distance and watched the poor bird, which 

 followed its boat-like nest as it drifted before the wind. At 

 length the boys were pleased to see the bird make an effort to 

 get on the nest, and so strongly built was it that it bore her 



