Bonasa Umbellus, Rex. 29 



world with us ran around as soon as his 

 legs protruded ; and comical enough he 

 looked with the broken shell clinging to 

 his back. 



At about this time the old Brahma 

 hen over at the farmhouse found under 

 her feathers two chickens that were 

 smaller than any that she had ever seen 

 before, and they were ahead of any cal- 

 culations that she may have made as 

 to time ; but she felt fully responsible for 

 them, nevertheless, and was disturbed be- 

 cause they ran away from her sheltering 

 wings and only returned to her most per- 

 sistent clucking. The boy, who had been 

 attracted by the solicitous calls of the hen, 

 caught one of the agile scampering balls 

 of down in his hand and held it up to ad- 

 mire the bright eyes and tiny bill that were 

 thrust through between his fingers ; but the 

 little feet clutched his fingers so tightly, 

 and the small heart throbbed so fast, that 

 in pity he put the grouse chicken quickly 

 down by the old Brahma hen again. 

 What transformation a little warmth had 

 wrought in the cold senseless yolk and 



