176 BIRDS' NESTS. 



me a blackbird's nest in them, with five eggs 

 in it." 



" It was very wise of Mrs. Square to save 

 them. Good bean-sticks cost a good deal of 

 money, and will last for three years, if taken 

 proper care of. But poor people are very 

 much in the habit of letting them stand in the 

 ground till they are rotten. They then break 

 them up and use them for firewood, though 

 half the money that they cost would purchase 

 a larger quantity of serviceable faggots. And 

 what did you see besides ? " 



" Joe took me to an open place in the gar- 

 den, and asked me to look round and see if I 

 could find a nest. I looked all round, but 

 there was not a bush nor a hedge near me, so 

 I soon gave it up, and he showed me a dear 

 little robin's nest built under a wisp of straw 

 which was lying on the ground. It was the 

 very last place I should have thought of looking 

 for one, and I am quite sure I should have 

 passed it by twenty times without finding it. 



