18* JULY 



two from the nest and sang songs as continuous and only 

 less varied than the lark s. A special charm was that he 

 sang directly for the other s ear. His better songs and 

 softer notes were reserved for the minutes when she was 

 at the nest ;* and like Wordsworth with the flowers, we 

 said, in his rough and colloquial idiom : 



I must believe, do all I can, 

 That there was pleasure there. 



He enjoyed, indeed, an ecstasy of delight in the presence 

 of his mate and the raising of the walls of the home. 

 There was no question about that ; and though he gave 

 little help, the work marched better for the music. 



The season had advanced so far that three eggs only, 

 in lieu of the usual six, were laid, and, almost as in the 

 warm but untidy sparrow s nest, they nearly disappeared 

 into the warm soft feathers of the lining. The mystery- 

 began with the laying of the third egg. Three pairs of 

 eyes have found constant, one pair almost continuous, 

 exercise, in watching the birds and listening to them ; 

 and each observer pledges himself to the fact that there 

 was never such a brooding of the clutches as you see in 

 other birds. The hen left the eggs on any unusual alarm 

 and was away over considerable periods for no percep 

 tible reason. The discovery that the young were actually 

 hatched was hardly believed till far-reaching fingers 

 actually touched the soft forms that had succeeded to the 

 hard eggs. The sitting had been so often broken and for 

 such long intervals that we were forced to credit the 

 mud and soft feathers with some special power of retain 

 ing heat. The nest had the virtue of what is called by 

 makers of modern ovens &quot; the hay-box system.&quot; 



When the young were hatched, thus unbelievably, the 

 cock at once became as good a parent as the hen : he 



