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thread. I had grave doubts as to whether my well-intentione

efforts would succeed, but it was kill or cure. I felt like Baden

Powell, it was a question :


If we go forward, we die.


If we go backward we die.


Better go forward and die.


My readers can supply the parallel.


To my surprise my little friend seemed to understand that

I was only lending a helping hand ; and when I came back a

quarter of an hour later, she was sitting on the eggs as if naught

had happened. To show my perfedt veracity I will send the

nest and suspenders of thread to some member of our Society to

see (d).


At the end of twelve days I found two of the eggs hatched

and one clear egg. I was pleased over my luck, as I felt sure

from past experience that I could rear them.


Everything went happy as a marriage bell, for a week,

and the youngsters grew as one could wish. The next day was

Sunday, a day of peace and goodwill. In the country Sunday is

a day of terrors to people who have aviaries ; for the common

necessary boy is on the prowl. I went to Evensong at 6 o’clock,

and I forgot to lock the padlock on the Wilderness. When we

came out of Church I went across to the aviaries to feed up for

the last time. As I crossed the field I saw three boys up a tree

aftera nest. I shouted to them fiercely and they fled incontinently,

but not before I had recognized them. It was a rare thing I did

look, as the sequel will shew. On reaching the aviaries I

found to my horror that the padlocks had been stolen, and on

looking inside I could see that someone had been inside. I said

to my wife, “ It is those boys and I will be bound those young

Indigos are gone.” I entered with a dreadful feeling of sickness

and crept miserably towards the Indigo’s nest. To my joy it

was there all right and the youngsters in it. How that nest

escaped will always be to me a miracle. I could have screamed

for joy. Then my thoughts turned to sweet revenge. I went

to one of the boys and I said : “If you do not give me the

padlocks you have stolen you will accompany me to the police¬

man.” He protested with ashy face that he had never been near

my garden and had never seen my padlocks. Unfortunately for

himself, he had a few moments before offered to exchange them

with another boy for value received. I taxed him boldly with



(d). They were seen and handled b3' Messrs. Creighton and Watson.—C. I). F.



