WILD LIFE ON THE WING 
occasion for the latter. Her children were 
well-schooled. Nevertheless, as she hastily 
took covert she called out her directions 
anxiously : " Rek-rek Be still, be still." The 
chicks obeyed her implicitly, and even though 
the trampling of the man's feet shook the 
earth within an inch of them, they lay quite 
quietly, only calling out softly for further 
instructions. 
When the man had passed on, and the wood 
was still again, Cearc-uise ran back and called 
up the chicks. The first crept out of a hollow 
tree-stump ; the second, very frightened, 
squeezed out between two dock stems ; the 
youngest, being full of worms when the alarm 
was given, had crouched down where he was, 
but luckily his sooty coat had escaped detection. 
He came out with dirt on his jacket, and com- 
plained loudly as his custom was. As for the 
fourth chick, the man's heavy boot had crushed 
down the nettles in a double swathe, and for 
all her calling and searching, Cearc-uise only 
led three of her brood back to the Pool. 
X 
That evening she covered a meagre nestful. 
The night was almost as hot as the day, and 
the starshine seemed to parch the earth as 
28 
