Bonasa Umbellus, Rex. 27 



accurate count, but suddenly remember- 

 ing that there was a "settin* hen " under 

 the old wagon in the woodshed at home, 

 he smiled a salute of thanks to his mem- 

 ory, and with well-meaning but rather 

 thick-fingered caution that would have 

 made most of us a little nervous if they 

 had been our eggs, he rolled up two of 

 the precious oval treasures in a youthful 

 fisherman's Saturday afternoon handker- 

 chief, and tucking them carefully away in 

 a side pocket trudged rather unsteadily 

 over the stones as his mind became occu- 

 pied with the thought of having two live 

 grouse at home that would respond to his 

 kindly efforts to tame them. At intervals 

 he regretted that he had not taken two 

 more of the eggs ; but his conscience was 

 quieter at knowing that the mother bird 

 could bear two pangs more easily than 

 four when she returned to the nest again. 

 For eighteen long days the mother 

 grouse had been sitting, and she anxiously 

 awaited the welcome sound of a little one 

 tapping at the shell for release. While 

 she had been waiting the blood-roots and 



