80 The Long-twiled Titmouse. [cBAP. Iv. 
him the direction of the roads. They told him to go south 
or north, or east or west. He had no idea of these geo- 
graphical descriptions. One man told him to “gang east 
a bit, then turn south, syne haud wast.” 
He went in the direction indicated, but he could proceed 
no farther. He sat down on a stone at the side of the 
road, and fell fast asleep. A gentleman passing in a gig, 
called out to him, “Boy! boy! get up! Don’t lie sleeping 
in the sun there; it’s very dangerous.” On wakening up 
he was much dazed, and he did not at first remember where 
he was. When he finally got up, he asked the gentleman 
the road to Cupar. On being properly directed, he set off 
again. 
The road along which.he passed lay for some time 
through a wood. Among the various birds which he saw 
and heard, he observed a group of little round birds not 
much bigger than a hazel-nut, with very long tails. They 
squeaked like mice, and hung to and went round about 
the slenderest twigs. He had never seen such little birds 
before. He did not know their names, but he afterward 
found that they were the long-tailed titmouse. The little 
things were the young brood of the parent bird, which 
was, no doubt, hanging or flying somewhere near them. 
Edward went into the wood to see them and follow 
them. As he passed along he was called to from behind, 
and a man came up and seized him by the collar. The 
man, doubtless a keeper, roughly asked him where he was 
going. “Naewhere.” ‘ What are you doing here, then?” 
“Naething.” “What's that in your bundle?” “ My stock- 
ings and shoes.” “Let me see.” His bundle was then 
overhauled, and nothing being found in it but his stockings 
and shoes, he was allowed to depart, with the injunction 
“never to return there again, unless he wished to be sent 
to jail.” 
After walking a few miles, he reached Cupar, and, pass- 
ing through it, went on toward Kettle. Coming to a small 
