134 Hillside. 



in which the large rough teazle heads begin to show con- 

 spicuously, and in which there is a fine holly bush. From 

 the grass at the bottom of yonder thick hawthorn bush a 

 little bird creeps quietly out, and we soon detect the plain 

 but regularly constructed nest (made of hay) of the white- 

 throat with four young ones in it. This is a very late nest, 

 probably a second one. The first, mayhap, has been destroyed, 

 although there is no doubt that those birds which pair early 

 frequently bring off a second brood of young ones in the same 

 year. There comes the bird back again ! No, that is the 

 male bird ; it was his mate that we frightened from the nest. 

 A chirping chorus follows, and we know that the young ones 

 are being fed. No sooner is the father gone than the mother 

 returns, and a similar little crying chorus is repeated, and 

 this happens again and again. We have been sitting here 

 almost a quarter of an hour, and during that time the mother 

 bird has returned seven, the father nine times, and each 

 time some caterpillar or other insect has been brought home. 

 One or other of the birds has visited the nest every minute, 

 and if this rate be kept up for the fourteen or fifteen hours 

 per day that they work for food, they must capture between 

 them close upon a thousand dainty morsels every day, 

 including what they would require for their own sustenance. 

 And yet very few farmers would utter a word of protest 

 against the robbing of the nests by any of the lads engaged 

 at work upon the farm, although " hard times " figure largely 

 in their usual conversation. Well, at any rate we have got 

 some idea of the work and the good that these little insecti- 

 vorous birds can do. Now we are off again, but bearing 

 round, follow the path which skirts the copse on its southern 

 side. 



