34 THE WOOD-WREN 



The cock stayed behind, and deliberately set 

 about endeavouring, for more than an hour, to 

 persuade the stranger, who now stood motionless 

 in the shadow of a hawthorn, that the nest was 

 concealed beneath a neighbouring clump of gorse. 



Presently, as luck would have it, a willow- 

 warbler, carrying a fly in her beak, flew into an 

 alder scarcely a dozen yards away, and the man's 

 attention was diverted. The mothering bird, 

 eager to feed a nestful of fledglings older and 

 hungrier than those in the wood-wren's nest, 

 hopped on the edge of a waving fern spray, then, 

 heedless of danger, made straight for her nest on 

 the ground in a low tangle of brambles, and 

 disappeared within. Having waited for a few 

 moments, the watcher moved across the path, 

 stooped down, and discovered the little dwelling 

 in the side of a mound. Seemingly satisfied, he 

 walked back as far as the pond, and then turned 

 along the opposite side of the island. The 

 wood-warbler, recognising that the danger had 

 passed, uttered a last decoy-note, half in caution, 

 half in bravado chit-chit-chunrrr and slipped 

 away to his nest. From the top of the ash he 

 saw that the watcher was preparing to cross the 

 ford ; and, as the sun went down, the woodland 

 home was once more left in peace. 



But, unfortunately, next day the intruder 

 came again. On the same rose-bush, busily 



