THE EMPTY NEST. 59 



he did come around, his mate flew at him, 

 whether to praise or to punish could only be 

 guessed, for he at once disappeared before her. 

 After two or three episodes of this sort he re- 

 mained about the tree, and occasionally contrib- 

 uted a mite to the family sustenance. 



The next morning, at half past seven, I re- 

 sumed my seat as usual, and very soon saw I 

 was too late. Both parents were busily flitting 

 about the tree, but never once went near the 

 old home; moreover, when the sun reached the 

 magical point where he revealed the inside of 

 the nest, lo, it was empty ! 



Either there had been but one other bairn, 

 and he had got out before I did, things hap- 

 pen so rapidly in the redstart family, or there 

 had been a tragedy, I could not discover which. 

 Neither could I find a young bird on that tree, 

 though I was sure, by the conduct of the par- 

 ents, that at least one remained. 



Now that no one's feelings could be hurt by 

 the operation, I had a limb cut off the apple- 

 tree, and the little home I had watched with so 

 great interest brought down to me. Nothing 

 could be daintier or more secure than that snug 

 little structure. Placed on an upright branch, 

 just below the point where five branchlets, a foot 

 or more long, sprang out to shelter, and closely 

 surrounded by seven twigs, of few inches but 



