Snowdrop loved pleasure. Why should she sit cooped up on a nest for
four weeks, when she might be having fun on the pond? Betty was willing
to do it for her.

10. She liked hunting for slugs and worms, or swimming races with her
drake, better than sitting still. So she said "yes" to Betty's offer
and marched off.

11. The good little hen climbed as well as she could on to the nest;
but she did not half like the look of it. Why, the eggs were ready to
roll out at the sides! And her body was not so big as that of Snowdrop,
neither were her wings so wide.

12. It was a great job for her to keep the large eggs under cover at
all, but she shook out her feathers and spread out her wings as far as
they would go, though it made them ache.

13. Then she felt nervous because the pond was so near. "It is bad for
eggs to get damp!" she said to herself. "What could make that foolish
Snowdrop choose such a place? And I dare say that I shall get the cramp
too."

14. But she sat on bravely for all that. Betty never left the eggs of
which she was taking care, except for a few moments when she was forced
by hunger to run to the yard.

15. The good farmer's wife saw her racing there one day. She watched
her pick up some corn in a great hurry and then rush off. She went
after Betty and saw her get into the nest of the duck, to sit there
after her hasty meal.

* * * * *

_Write:_ The hen wished to sit on the eggs of the duck. She did not
leave them except to get food when she was hungry. The wife of the
farmer found the eggs.

Questions: 1. What did Snowdrop make among the rushes? 2.
How many eggs did she lay? 3. What did the hen offer to do?
4. What did Snowdrop say? 5. How did Betty get food? 6. Who
saw her running back to the eggs?

10. THE WEE DUCKS.

1. "Pretty dear!" said the farmer's wife to Betty, as she saw her climb
gently on to the eggs and spread out her small wings as far as she
could.

2. "This will never do," she went on. "If you want to hatch them, my
pretty, you had better do it in your own nest."

3. So she stooped down, stroked Betty's white back softly, and then,
with a firm, gentle hand, pushed her aside while she took all the seven
eggs into her apron.

4. At first Betty did not like it. She did not know what Snowdrop would
say, and besides, she had a longing inside her to finish the job. She
wanted to see the dear little things come from the she