round an acorn; they could even scramble over pine-cones, and on the little tags that

, which taught them to hide at the word from their mother; it was instinct that taught them to follow her, but it was reason which made the

On the next, the feathers were well out, and a week later t

; he ran less and cheeped more than his brothers, and when one evening at the onset of a skunk the mother gave the word 'Kwit, kw

ill rising against the distant woods stood for a garner of plenty; they knew that strawberries, though not really insects, were almost as delicious; they knew that the huge danaid butterflies were good, safe game, if they could only catch t

rished amazingly during this last month, and were now so large that

ny different birds, and at first the mother disliked the idea of such a second-hand bath. But the dust was of s

he mother was the last to be affected. But when it came, it came as hard on her-a ravenous hunger, a feverish headache, and a wasting weakness. She never knew the cause. She could not know t

tried the unattractive berries. The acrid burning juice seemed to answer some strange demand of her body; she ate and ate, and all her family joined in the strange feast of physic. No human doctor could have hit it better; it proved a biting, drastic purge, the dreadful secret foe was downed, the danger passed. But not for all-Nature, the old nurse, had come too late for two of

or others, and her favorite was the biggest, he who once sat on the yellow chip for concealment. He was not only the biggest, strongest, and handsomest of the brood, the best of all, the most obedient. His mother's warning 'rrrrr' (danger) did

on the ground so their mother could shelter them, but now they were too big to need that, and the mother began to introduce grown-up ways of life. It was time to roost in the trees. The

is brothers were awakened by his cries. There was a slight scuffle, then stillness, broken only by a horrid sound of crunching bones and a smacking of lips. They peer

their mother in the middle, though it was not unusual

ant at times that all are taught how and when to rise on thundering wings. Many ends are gained by the whirr. It warns all other partridges near that dange

oon.' September came, with seeds and grain in place of ber

rough the ravine with his bob-tailed yellow cur, the mother spied the dog and cried out Kwit! Kwit!" (Fly, fly). Two of the brood thought it a pity their mother should lose her wits so e

other and brothers, so much so that they never noticed a rustling in the bushes till there was a loud Bang! bang! and down fell two