ere men. Those must have been the
'good old days!'"

"That farmer seems to think that he owns all the trees, and all the
fences, and all the fields!" said Robert Robin. "The rude manner he uses
towards his horses and the way he slaps them with the straps, and the
way he shouts at them is very disgusting to me! If I were a great big
horse, I would not let a little man, only one fifth of my size, boss me
around like that farmer does his big horses!"

"Neither would I!" exclaimed Mrs. Partridge. "But I shall never let that
farmer catch me if I can help it!"

"Then he has cats around his house and barn!" said Robert Robin. "Cats
are very bad animals!"

"Yes, they are!" agreed Mrs. Partridge. "And I wish that dog of his
would stay out of our woods! He is always prowling around, smelling of
things, and I expect that he will find my nest, and mercy knows what I
would ever do then!"

"Gerald Fox bit him once!" said Robert Robin. "But why not make your
nest up in a tree, Mrs. Partridge? It is much safer from dogs!"

"My mother built hers on the ground, and what was good enough for my
mother ought to be good enough for me!" said Mrs. Partridge, and just
then Robert Robin heard his wife calling to him to come and keep watch
of the nest while she went out for lunch.

"Where have you been all day?" asked Mrs. Robin. "I have been calling,
and calling, and I was beginning to get worried for fear something
dreadful had happened to you! You must have found many good things to
eat, for your crop sticks out like a chicken's!"

"I am very sorry if I kept you waiting, my dear!" said Robert Robin.
"But Major Partridge kicked up the leaves so that I caught a whole
cropful of brown bugs. He must have made so much noise that I did not
hear you calling to me!"

"You are usually so prompt in coming when I call, that I was sure you
would have a good reason!" said Mrs. Robin. "Now I will go over and get
my lunch, but I do not care for brown bugs to-day. I will get me some
black bugs, there must be plenty of them over in Black-bug Swamp."

So Mrs. Robin went to Black-bug Swamp and found plenty of black bugs,
and on the way back she stopped near Mrs. Partridge's nest to get one or
two brown bugs for dessert.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Robin!" said Mrs. Partridge, and Mrs. Robin jumped
and looked all around, but she did not see Mrs. Partridge.

"Your husband and I have just had a nice long visit!" continued Mrs.
Partridge, and Mrs. Robin ke