46 More Tales of the Birds 



The Martin paused and seemed hardly able 

 to go on, and Gwenny was silent out of 

 respect for his feelings. At last he resumed. 



" One afternoon, when the morning's feeding 

 was over, I flew off, so joyful did I feel, and 

 coursed up and down over meadow and river 

 in the sunshine, till the lengthening shadows 

 warned me that my wife would be getting 

 hungry again. I sped home at my quickest 

 pace, and flew straight to the nest. If I had 

 not been in such a hurry I might have noticed 

 a long straw sticking out of it, and then I 

 should have been prepared for what was 

 coming ; but I was taken by surprise, and I 

 never shall forget that moment. I clung as 

 usual to the nest, and put my head in before 

 entering. It was a piteous sight I saw ! My 

 wife was not there ; the eggs were gone ; and 

 half a dozen coarse white feathers from the 

 poultry yard told me what had happened. 

 Before I had time to realise it, I heard a loud 

 fierce chatter behind me, felt a punch from a 

 powerful bill in my back, which knocked me 

 clean off the nest, and as I flew screaming 



