stem of elder, hand over hand, wren fashion, her 

 long neck thrust straight into the air, absolutely 

 stiff and statuesque. 



We were less than a skiff's length apart, each 

 trying to outpose and outstare the other. I 

 won. Human eyes are none the strongest, nei- 

 ther is human patience, yet I have rarely seen a 

 creature that could outwait a man. The only 

 steady, straightforward eye in the Jungle was 

 Mowgli's— because it was the only one with a 

 steady mind behind it. As soon as the bird let 

 herself look me squarely in the eye, she knew 

 she was discovered, that her little trick of turn- 

 ing into a stub was seen through ; and immedi- 

 ately, ruffling her feathers, she lowered her head, 

 poked out her neck at me, and swaying from side 

 to side like a caged bear, tried to scare me, glar- 

 ing and softly growling. 



Off she flopped as I landed. The nest might 

 be upon the ground or lodged among the bushes ; 

 but the only ground space large enough was 

 covered layer over layer with pearly clam-shells, 

 the kitchen-midden of some muskrat ; and the 

 bushes were empty. I went to the other islets, 

 searched bog and tangle, and finally pulled away 

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