The Sorrows of a House Martin 3 1 



of these ticks ! There are half a dozen in each 

 feather, I really believe ; and if you had to 

 count my feathers, it would be your bedtime 

 long before you got through half of them. I 

 could sit here by the hour together hunting for 

 them, if I hadn't plenty of other work to do. 

 You can't think how they fidget one, tickling 

 and creeping all day long ! And the nest up 

 there is swarming with them ! Have you got 

 ticks under your feathers, I wonder ? " 



44 Don't talk of such horrid things," said 

 Gwenny. " Of course I haven't. Please don't 

 fly down : you might drop some about. I had 

 no idea you were such nasty creatures ! " 



44 Speak gently, please," returned the Martin. 

 44 It's not our fault. They will come, and there's 

 not a Martin in the world that hasn't got them. 

 You see we have our troubles ; and you are a 

 very lucky little girl. You have no ticks, and 

 no journeys to make, and no droughts to go 

 through, and no sparrows to bully you, and no 

 men or cats to catch and kill you. Dear 

 me," he added with a sigh, 4< such a spring and 

 summer as my wife and I have had ! Troubles 



