A SECLUDED CORNER. 187 



sympathizing manner. Their utterances now, which I 

 could hear notwithstanding the racket made by the toads, 

 were very varied, and gave the impression that they were 

 holding a conversation. After the lapse of a minute or 

 more the old birds together took a short, low flight, and 

 then returned to the young owl. Was it not to show it 

 how easy flight was ? Then again they flew away, in the 

 same manner, and the young owl endeavored to follow. 

 It was with evident difficulty that it left the ground, but 

 when once its feet were clear of the grass it progressed 

 satisfactorily, though only for a short distance. This 

 pleased the old birds, for one of them came to the plucky 

 little fellow, and, with one wing extended, patted the 

 young bird on the head and back most tenderly. At this 

 I laughed aloud, most unfortunately, and immediately 

 the old birds flew to the nesting-tree, and then discovered 

 my hiding-place. Of all the scoldings I ever got, that 

 from the owls, this evening, was the severest. As I 

 moved away I recalled the oft-witnessed scene of the 

 king-birds worrying crows. It was the same thing in 

 my case. Keeping just out of reach of my cane, they 

 swooped about my head and snapped their bills viciously. 

 They did not dare to strike me, but they came unpleas- 

 antly near, and it was with a feeling of comfort that I 

 finally reached safer quarters. 



Another feature of this secluded corner is worthy of 

 mention. The herons for many years have occupied it 

 as a roost, and every spring the little green " fly-up-the- 

 creek " has nested in the maples here. Their nest is a 

 slight structure of coarse twigs, and the contents consist 

 of two dirty-green eggs, which disappear in good time, 

 and their place is taken up by as comical a pair of dirty- 

 tinted down-clad creatures as can be seen. When the 

 birds are less than a week old the nest is often forsaken, 



