THE CUCKOO'S NEST. 191 



nest, with the sitting bird at home. It was so 

 near me that I could have touched it, being not 

 more than two feet from the ground, and hardly 

 farther from the path. 



Fearing to startle the little mother, whose 

 frightened eyes were fixed upon us, we an- 

 nounced our mutual discovery by a single move- 

 ment of the hand, and walked quietly past with- 

 out pausing. Not until we reached the open 

 fields at the end did my comrade whisper, "a 

 cuckoo," and our hearts, if not our lips, sang 

 with Wordsworth, "Thrice welcome, darling of 

 the spring," for the nest of this shy bird we 

 hardly dared hope to see. 



After the morning of our happy discovery the 

 cuckoo path became part of our regular route 

 home from the woods. Our first care was to 

 dispel the fears of the bird, and accustom her to 

 seeing us, so for several days we passed her with- 

 out pausing, though we looked at her and spoke 

 to her in low tones as we went by. 



Three times she flew at sight of us, but on the 

 fourth morning she remained, though with tail 

 straight up and ready for instant flight. But 

 finding that we did not disturb her, she calmed 

 down, and became so fearless that she did not 

 move nor appear agitated when at last we did 

 stop before her door, spoke to her, and identified 

 her as the black -billed cuckoo. 



