, and it may happen that if he has not
much work on hand he will make you a hoop that will be far cheaper
and stronger than a bought one (see p. 169). In hot weather the flies
are so troublesome to horses which are being shod, and make them so
restless, that some one has to stand beside them and brush the flies
away with a green branch. This job might fall to you.

Birds'-Nesting

One of the advantages of being in the country in spring is that that
is the time when birds build. In May the weather is not yet
sufficiently warm to make sitting about out-of-doors very comfortable,
but birds'-nesting can make up for that. It is of no use to say in
this book, "Don't take the eggs," because it is possible only for one
person here and there to be satisfied with merely finding a nest and
then passing on to find another. But it is a pity for any one who is
not a serious collector to take more than one egg. For your purposes
one is enough, and the loss of a single egg rarely causes a bird to
desert her nest. Of course if you know for certain that the nest is
deserted, it is right to take all. You can find out by visiting it two
or three times, and if the eggs remain cold or wet and there is no
sign of the bird you may safely feel that she has abandoned them.
Birds have so many natural enemies to fear that it is hard that we
should harm them too.

Blowing Eggs

For blowing eggs a brass or glass blow-pipe is the proper thing, using
only one hole, which is made at the side with a little drill. But for
your purpose a hole at each end made with a pin is simpler and equally
good. In blowing you must be careful not to hold the egg so tightly in
the fingers that its sides crush in. Before making the holes it is
well to put the egg in a basin of water. If it sinks it is fresh and
can be blown easily; but if it floats it is set--that is to say, the
young bird has begun to form--and blowing will be difficult. In such
cases it is wise, if you are using a blow-pipe, to make a largish hole
and put a little water in and leave the egg to lie for a day or so;
then blowing it will be not much trouble. But if you have no blow-pipe
the best thing to do is to make one good-sized hole in the less
interesting side of the egg, and empty it with a bent pin. Then, when
it is empty, you can put it in the egg box with the broken side
underneath. Country boys often thread birds' eggs on a string which
hangs from the ceiling, but the ordinary way is t