54 THE SWAN AND HER CREW. 



" I give it up," said Frank. What a thing it is to be a 

 scientific man ! " 



44 1 take it/' said Dick, rolling himself along the cabin roof 

 towards them, " that it means that different coloured rays of 

 light have corresponding effects upon coloured atoms in the 

 skin of the chameleon. The rays of light will be affected by 

 the colour of the place where the chameleon is, and the 

 chameleon will be affected by the changed colour of the rays 

 of light, so that if the beast were on a green lawn his colour 

 would be green, and if on a brown tree-trunk his colour would 

 be brown." 



"That is my idea," said Jimmy; "but what is the good of 

 using such stilted language, when the same thing might have 

 been said in simple English ? " 



" I wonder why that water-hen keeps dodging about us in 

 such a fussy manner," said Frank. 



*' I don't," replied Dick, " for there is her nest not a yard 

 from our bows." 



The mooring rope had parted the reeds, and discovered 

 her nest, and Dick, on going to the bows had seen it. It 

 contained twelve eggs, one of which was so light in colour as 

 to be almost white, and one so small that it was only half the 

 size of the others. Dick asked if it were because it was laid last, 

 and if the pale one was so for a similar reason. Frank replied, 



" It may be so in this case, but it does not always happen so. 

 Last year I tried an experiment with a robin's nest. I took 

 out an egg each day, as it was laid, and still the bird went on 

 laying until I let her lay her proper number, five. She laid 

 fifteen eggs altogether, but they were all the same colour and 

 size. So I expect that it is only an accident when the eggs are 

 like these." 



" Bell told me the other day that sitting birds have no scent," 

 said Dick, " Is that true ? " 



" I am not quite sure, but I am inclined to think that they 

 have not so strong a scent as at other times. This same robin 

 which I have just been telling you about built in a hedge-bank 

 close by a house, and cats were always prowling about, and I 

 have seen puss walk right above the nest while the old bird was 

 on. If birds would only have the sense to shut their eyes, we 

 would often pass them over, but it is easy to see them with 

 their eyes twinkling like diamonds." 



