WATER GARDENS, ETC. 
^09 
found that myriads of tiny insects, or, in fact, bird- 
lice, were crawling up and down the side of the 
house, and had even extended their walk along the 
hammock. They all came from the spongy, moss- 
like nest of the phcebe-birds. For them, the day 
at once became one of woe. Mrs. Keith would not 
tolerate having their nest under the roof another 
minute. She insisted that the young ones be turned 
out to take care care of themselves, and the nest 
burned. Mrs. Keith never loses time when she 
makes up her mind to do a thing. Therefore, she 
would not wait for Joseph’s return, but herself 
poked down the nest, dropped the fledglings out on 
the lawn, and then turned the hose on the side of 
the house. 
Th ere was no end of alarm and crying among 
the parent birds. They had watched Mrs. Keith 
bring the step-ladder out on to the veranda, and, 
from then on, they never stopped their lamenta- 
tions. Fortunately, the young birds appeared quite 
strong when dispossessed. They flapped their 
wings as though they knew the time had come for 
them to practise flying. Often they tumbled over 
when they tried to walk, but one of the older birds 
would give them a push in the way of encourage- 
ment. The whole family started across the tri- 
angle, and, before Joseph returned, they had nearly 
reached its moist point. They seemed tO' have the 
idea of getting under the shelter of the coppice. I 
felt sure that the little ones were exceedingly weary; 
