CHAP. i. LOVE OF BIRDNESTING. 17 



of time, until it became very late. On such occa- 

 sions, the parents of the boys became very anxious 

 about them ; and knowing that Tarn Edward was the 

 cause of their being kept so long away from home, 

 they forbade them accompanying him again on any 

 account. When he asked them to go with him a 

 birdnesting, their answer usually was, "Wha wad 

 gang wi 7 you? ye never come hame!" Even when 

 Tom did get any boys to follow him, he usually re- 

 turned alone. 



On one occasion he got some boys to accompany 

 him to a wood at Polmuir, about two miles from 

 town, on a birdnesting expedition. While they were 

 going through the wood, a little separated, one of 

 them called out, " A byke, a byke,* stickin' on a tree, 

 and made o' paper!" A byke was regarded as a 

 glorious capture, not only for the sake of the honey, 

 but because of the fun the boys had in skelpin' out 

 the bees. Before they had quite reached the spot, 

 one of the youngest boys yelled out, " Oh ! I'm stung, 

 I'm stung!" He took to his feet, and they all fol- 

 lowed. After they had run some distance, and there 

 being no appearance of a foe, a halt was made, and 

 they stood still to consider the state of affairs. 

 But all that could be ascertained was, that the byke 

 was on a tree, that it was made of paper, and that it 

 had lots of yellow bees about it. 



This so excited Tom's curiosity that he at once 



* Byke, a bees' nest. 

 C 



