STRUCK DUMB. 197 



himself of that worm. Still we did not move ; 

 arms began to ache, feet tingled with "going to 

 sleep," every joint stiffened, and I began to be 

 afraid I should find myself turned to stone. 

 Still that bird never moved an eyelid, so far as 

 we could see. 



It was fully twenty-five minutes that we three 

 stared at each other, all struck dumb. But Na- 

 ture asserted herself in us before it did in him. 

 The sun was hot, and the mosquitoes far from 

 dumb. We yielded as gracefully as we could 

 under the circumstances, and left him there as 

 motionless as a "mounted specimen" in a glass 

 case. 



The next morning we started out rather ear- 

 lier than usual, half expecting to find Master 

 Cuckoo grown to that perch. It appeared, how- 

 ever, that he had torn himself away, for he was 

 not to be seen. The little mother, who was on 

 the nest, had readily learned that we intended 

 no harm, but her peppery little spouse learned 

 nothing; he was just as unreconciled to us the 

 last day as the first. 



This time he tried to keep out of sight. First 

 we heard his call far off, then a low "cuck-a- 

 ruck " quite near, to which she replied with a 

 gentle u coo-oo " hardly above her breath. 



It was soothing, but it did not altogether 

 soothe. He came up from behind us with an- 



