ve begun to build, and there are several
nests now in our elm-tree. It is most interesting to watch the ways of
rooks; they seem to have a lot of business on hand. There is another
rookery in the town, in the garden of Mrs. Cross, a friend of my
mother's. Rooks always leave the town rookeries for the country as soon
as their young ones are able to fly. Now Mrs. Cross noticed that her
rooks, after they had gone to the fields, always came back each morning
quite early to look after their nests. They stayed a little while to
talk over matters; then they flew back again to the fields. One very
stormy morning she noticed that instead of the whole flock coming and
alighting, one solitary rook ventured through the wind and rain, flying
round and round the trees without settling, and then flew back again to
the others to give his report that all was right in the old home."

"What clever birds they must be!" said Mary.

"They are," said Tom. "There are lots of stories about rooks, but what I
have told you happened under our very eyes.--I have a sparrow-hawk's egg
here, white, spotted with brown. It was given to my father by a man for
me. There are not many of these birds about here."

"Oh," said Jack, "I wish I could get a collection of birds' eggs!"

"It is almost too late in the season now," said Tom. "Still, you might
get some from late nests. I can spare you some from mine, to make a
beginning. I know a young fellow, who lives about a half-mile off, who
has a large collection of eggs. We'll go and see him one Saturday
afternoon. He is sure to have some to give away, for he is always adding
to his store, and he is very good-natured."

IV.

_JACK AND THE GARDENER._

"Oh! fie upon you, little birds,
To eat up _all_ our cherries!
Why don't you go into the woods
And dine upon the berries?"--C. H.

A few days after Tom had shown his cousins his collection of birds'
eggs, Jack, as he was coming away from a visit to Lion, passed by the
end of the potting-shed. The gardener was in there, and he called out,
"Master Jack, I've got something for you in here."

Jack went into the shed, and the gardener fumbled about on a shelf till
he found what he was looking for.

"There," he said, "is a thrush's nest; I thought you'd like it. I took
it out of one of the trees in the orchard. It has got four pretty eggs
in it."

[Illustration: JACK AND THE THRUSH'S NEST.
_Page 36._]

"Oh," said Jack, "how splendid! What a t