My First of September. 73 



point, when up got the old hen and a lot of 

 light brown looking half-grown birds. Poor 

 old cock, I believ^e he, Spartan-like, nobly sacri- 

 ficed himself to save his family. I flung up 

 my gun, but was in time to save pulling the 

 trigger, and very glad I was ; they pitched 

 close to a piece of standing corn, into which 

 they, I have no doubt, ran. 



" Why didn't you shoot ? " said Ben, " that 

 old Savage will have every one of them if he 

 comes across them." 



'' Well, let him," said I, " for I won't shoot 

 at squeakers." 



" Old Savage will swear they are a sm.all 

 breed peculiar to the common," said Ben. 



'' I hope he won't find them," said I ; "at all 

 events, they are safe for the present in that 

 piece of barley ; " it being a " Lex iion scripta " 

 well understood, that no one should go into 

 standing corn on the common. , 



On we went, but met with very little success. 

 Doll found and stood a good many times ; 

 but as there were very many patches of late 

 barley and beans still out, the birds found 

 shelter there, and we had to be very careful to 

 prevent Doll going into them^ as that was an 



