THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 55 



under him, onward he went to his point, and putting his 

 hand into the nest, cried out, " Who-whoop ! I've done it ! 

 Here are two eggs in the nest," which he instantly put 

 into his mouth, to secure them from being broken in the 

 descent. 



" Glad to see you safe down, sir," said Jem Perren ; " I 

 was mortally frightened for you ; and, if you had tumbled, 

 what would my lady have said to me ? " 



" Oh," said Frank, " if I was, like Andrew, to do 

 nothing but what mamma likes, I shouldn't have much 

 fun. But, Jem, I am sorry to see the rooks have begun 

 to lay, for it shows that it will soon be over with hunting 

 for this year. How curiously these eggs are speckled ! 

 but they are not all speckled alike." 



At this moment Mr. Egerton made his appearance, and 

 asked who had been taking rook's eggs, as it was Mr. 

 Raby's orders they should not be touched. Frank, at 

 once, confessed himself the culprit, having suffered 

 enough, on a former occasion, from concealing the truth, 

 in plainer English, telling a direct lie. 



" Do you see what misery you have inflicted on those 

 poor birds, which are hovering round their empty nest ? " 

 continued Mr. Egerton. "For my own part, I have 

 always been a great admirer of birds their notes, their 

 nests, their eggs, and all the economy of their lives ; nor 

 have we, throughout the order of creation, any beings that 

 so continually engage our attention as these our feathered 

 companions. It is my opinion, that whosoever can exercise 

 cruelty towards a sparrow or a wren, the most insignificant 

 of birds, would, when circumstances enabled him, be cruel 

 to his fellow-creatures." 



" But, sir," observed Jem Perren, " father says, ' take 

 every nest you see, Jem ; they are nothing but varmint ' : 

 so I knows not what to do ; and you knows, sir, our 

 farmers gives sixpence a dozen for young sparrows ; and 

 in the last year's churchwarden's account, I seed, with my 

 own eyes, seventeen shillings paid for seventeen dozen 

 tomtit's heads, three and fourpence of which came to iny 

 share." 



This was something of a damper for fine sentiment ; and 

 Mr. Egerton, taking out his watch, observed, that it wanted 

 but half an hour of dinner time. 



" What's to be done to-day 1 " said Mr. Egerton to his 

 pupils, after school, on the morrow following the crow's- 



