THE SNAKE-SKIN HUNTER 



225 



among the birds. No doubt, like 

 other two-legged artists, they en- 

 joy most spirited squabbles among 

 themselves as to the comparative 

 merits of hogs' bristles and badger- 

 hair, or of this or that method of 

 laying on the paper, hornet-nest, 

 horse-hair, or caterpillar-skins. We 

 must admit, of course, that there 

 is some particular virtue in 

 each of these ingredients, 

 but we must draw the line 

 somewhere. Here, for in- 

 stance, we come upon a nest 

 in the fork of a tree that is 

 lined with cherry-pits and 

 buckwheat- shells. But I 

 will not dwell upon this now, 

 for I shall have something 

 more to say about it in an- 

 other page. 



^3F' T 



