BIRDS' NESTS. 37 



Henry looked in, each supposing, perhaps, that 

 it was his turn to have a delicate snail or fine 

 fat caterpillar for breakfast. 



Just outside the dining-room window was 

 a laurel-tree, one long stiff branch of which 

 came close to the glass. On the top of this a 

 pair of chaffinches had built their nest. There 

 were very few leaves on the branch, and there 

 was some one or other passing beneath at all 

 hours of the day ; but the pretty birds seemed 

 to think that so close to the house as this, no 

 one would be so inhospitable as to hurt them. 

 And they were right. No one ever looked 

 into the net. You might see the tail of the 

 hen-bird stretching out over the edge all the 

 while the sitting was going on ; and the cock- 

 bird frequently perched on the acacia-tree a 

 few yards off, singing his short merry song, 

 which sounded as if he said, " I'm-come-down- 

 this -fine - morning-to-pick-up- a - few- grains -of- 

 wheat-o." No one doubted that there were 

 eggs in the nest, and that they were hatched ; 



