A CUNNING DAME. 93 



of seeing the singer uneasy, and of feeling sure 

 that, as the children say, I was " very warm." 



Day after day, in fair weather or foul, in cold 

 or heat, I took my way down the lane, and 

 seated myself as comfortably as circumstances 

 would admit, to spy upon the brown-and-gold 

 family ; and day after day I was watched in 

 turn, sometimes by the singer, restlessly fly- 

 ing from tree to tree, peering down to study 

 me from all sides, and amusing me with all his 

 varied eccentricities of movement and song, if 

 one may thus name his vocal performances. Oc- 

 casionally madam condescended to entertain, or, 

 what is more probable, tried to perplex me by 

 her tactics. She scorned the transparent device 

 of drawing me away from the dangerous vicinity 

 by pretending to be hurt, or by grotesque exhi- 

 bitions. Her plan was far more cunning than 

 these : it was to point out to the eager seeker 

 after forbidden knowledge, convenient places 

 where the nest might be but certainly was 

 not, and so to bewilder the spy, by many 

 hints, that she would not realize it when the real 

 passage to the waiting nestlings was made. The 

 wise little matron would alight on the fence and 

 look anxiously down, seemingly about to drop 

 into the nest ; then, as if she really could not 

 make up her mind to do so while I looked on, 

 fly to a blackberry spray and do it all over again. 



