The Swan And Her Crew Part 15

Old School fellows.--Tom-t.i.t's Nest in Boot.--Nuthatch.-- Wryneck.--Ant-hill.--Marsh-t.i.t.--A Comical Fix.

As the _Swan_ was brought up to her moorings at the Staithe the boys who were a.s.sembled on the green before the front of the house rushed down to inspect the strange boat and then to claim acquaintanceship with Frank and Jimmy. They were their old school-fellows, and were glad to see their old companions again. They swarmed over the yacht, criticising her, and asking questions about her and the cruise of the boys.

Marston, a great big fellow, dived into the cabin exclaiming, "What a jolly little box!" and sat down on a berth to see how it felt. No sooner, however, had he sat down than he jumped up and out on deck, as quickly as a Jack in a box does when the spring is touched, at the same time uttering a howl of pain.

"What is the matter?" said Frank.

"I do not know," answered Marston, poking his head into the cabin again to see what was there, while he rubbed his back disconsolately. The fact of the matter was that he had sat down in the corner where the hawks were, and they, seeing an inviting bit of bare flesh between the waistband of his breeches and his jersey, had saluted him with a _one_, _two_, of very remarkable poignancy.

Jimmy's delight at this incident was unbounded. He felt now that he was amply repaid for the damage to his own big toe. When the general laugh at this incident had subsided, Marston said:--

"I say, Frank, we are going to row a race with the Norwich Rowing Club.

A four-oared race; it comes off the day after to-morrow; and most unfortunately our No. 3 has sprained his wrist and cannot row, and we did not know what to do. We have no other man big enough to take his place who is in condition. We were discussing the matter as you came up.

Now, you are a good rower; will you row for us?"

Frank was pleased at the invitation, especially as it was backed up by the others most cordially; but he said--

"I have not rowed for so long a time that I am quite out of condition."

"Oh, nonsense, you look in perfect condition. If you have been out for a week's yachting you must be in capital condition. Do row, or we shall lose the race to a certainty."

"You had better row, Frank," said both Jim and d.i.c.k together, but he still hesitated.

"Come, d.i.c.k," said Jim, "let us go and birds'-nest in the wood while Frank listens to the voice of the charmer."

So off they went, leaving Frank and the others to settle the question between them.

Behind the inn there rose a steep wood-crowned bank, and it was to this that the two boys directed their steps. On their way they pa.s.sed a skittle-alley, and d.i.c.k said to the man in charge--

"Can you show us any birds' nests?"

"Yes, I can show you one in a very rum place. Look into that old pair of boots hanging against the wall."

They did so, and to their surprise a tom-t.i.t flew out, and upon closer inspection they found its nest in one of the boots, and in the nest twelve tiny white eggs.

"These are master's marsh-boots, but when he found that the birds had begun to build in them, he gave orders that no one was to touch them until the birds had hatched off their young ones."

[Ill.u.s.tration: TOM-t.i.t AND EGG.]

Tom-t.i.ts have a knack of building their nests in strange places. Inside a pillar letter-box, where letters were being tossed every day; in a hole in a door-post, which was closed when the door was shut, so that the birds were shut up during the night; in the pocket of a gardener's coat hanging on a nail. Such are the places in which master tom-t.i.t sometimes builds his nest. Even more curious, however, was a nest I read of which was built by a fly-catcher in the spring of a bell, which vibrated twenty times a day when the bell was rung.

When they reached the wood, d.i.c.k's attention was attracted by the movements of a bird with a slaty blue back and fawn-coloured belly, which was flitting about the trunk of a large beech-tree.

"What bird is that, Jimmy?" he asked.

"It is a nuthatch. Let us watch it, and perhaps we may see its nest."

[Ill.u.s.tration: NUTHATCH.]

After a little while they saw it disappear into a hole in a neighbouring tree. Going up to this, they found that it was its nest, and that it was made after a fashion peculiar to these pretty birds. The nest was built in a hole in a tree, but the hole being larger than was required by the birds, they had built up the entrance with mud, like that which forms a swallow's nest, leaving an aperture only just large enough for the old birds to get in and out. d.i.c.k got on Jimmy's shoulders, and broke away a piece of mud, so that he could get his hand in.

"There are five eggs, white with brown spots, and I have caught the old bird on."

"Let her go, and take two of the eggs; I know Frank hasn't got any."

d.i.c.k did so, and then moistening the piece of mud which he had removed, in a little pool which was near, he fixed it very neatly in its proper place again.

Proceeding a little further, they saw a bird about as big as a nuthatch, but very different in appearance. It had a curiously mottled and brown-lined back. Every now and then it descended to the ground, and flew back again to a hole in a decayed poplar, varying the journey with wanderings up and down the trunk of that and adjacent trees. As it did so, it stretched forth its head and twisted its neck about in a very peculiar fashion.

[Ill.u.s.tration: WRYNECK.]

"That can be nothing else but a wryneck," said Jimmy, noticing its movement. "Its nest must be in that hole; but what is it picking from the ground?"

[Ill.u.s.tration: WORKING ANT AND PORTION OF ANT-HILL.]

Underneath a large fir-tree was a big conical heap of straw and leaves.

Upon examination it was found to be swarming with large chestnut-coloured ants. It was a nest of the wood-ant, and thousands of the tiny creatures were busy dragging straws and sticks to build up the nest, or grains of wheat or other food. It was a grand feast for the wryneck, which had been picking up the ants' eggs, and carrying them to its young ones. The boys stood for some time looking at the busy heap, until from looking at the whole together they came to selecting particular ants and speculating on their destination, for every ant had a purpose in going and coming. One about a foot from the hill was tugging a piece of straw which was evidently too large for him to pull along una.s.sisted, so he left it, and presently returned with a companion, and the two together managed to take the straw along capitally. d.i.c.k was much struck with this incident, which looked more like reason than instinct. And he would have stayed longer watching the ants, had not Jimmy been in a hurry to climb up to the wryneck's nest, and he could not do without d.i.c.k's help, who had to give him a back.

When he got up he very nearly came down again, so startled was he to hear a loud hissing in the hole like that of a snake. The wryneck flew off, and as there could not be a bird and a snake together in the hole, he concluded that the bird had made the noise with intention to frighten him, and he boldly put his hand into the hole and popped his fingers into the gaping mouths of some young wrynecks. He nevertheless felt carefully about, in hope of finding an addled egg, and he was not disappointed. There were two addled eggs, which he brought down in safety. They were pure white, about the size of a swift's.

[Ill.u.s.tration: EGG OF WRYNECK.]

They now came to something in d.i.c.k's line. On a tall nettle-top sat a small tortoisesh.e.l.l b.u.t.terfly opening and shutting its wings with the fanning motion peculiar to its tribe. The rays of sunlight falling through the foliage of the trees overhead lit up the beauty of its red and black wings. d.i.c.k had not his net with him, so taking off his cap, he made after the b.u.t.terfly, which launched into strong flight, and sailed away out of the wood and over the meadows with d.i.c.k in hot pursuit.

Jimmy went on rambling through the wood, and presently saw a small tree which divided into two branches about a dozen feet from the ground. At this fork of the tree it was split some distance down, and, in this split, some moss betokened a nest of some kind. Jimmy threw a stone up, and as it clattered against the tree, a bird like a tom-t.i.t, but with a black head, flew out. Jimmy watched it as it fluttered about the branches of the tree a few yards off, and soon came to the conclusion that it was a marsh-t.i.t, and that its eggs were worth having.

[Ill.u.s.tration: MARSH t.i.t AND EGG.]

He accordingly climbed up the tree, and found that he could not reach the nest, which was too far down in the slit. By dint, however, of sitting on one of the forks, and pushing with all his might at the other, he succeeded in opening the crack wide enough for him to insert his hand and reach the nest. It contained eight eggs, white spotted with red. He took four of them, and sitting in the fork of the tree, he blew them and put them in his box. Then he thought of descending, and attempted to jump to the ground. To his astonishment he found himself brought up sharp, and then he saw that his trousers had caught in the slit, and that a large portion of the slack of them behind was firmly wedged in; and there he hung with his legs dangling in the air with ludicrous helplessness. He tried to haul himself up again, but he was in such an awkward position that he could not do it. He tried to open the crack with his hands, but with the weight of his body on the one side instead of in the middle, this could not be done. In despair he let go with his hands, in the hope that his trousers would tear and that he would fall to the ground; but they were too stout for that, and he only narrowly escaped turning topsy turvy and hanging in a worse position.

Then he fell to laughing vigorously at the comical sc.r.a.pe he had got into. He did not laugh long, however, for he was very uncomfortable, and kick and struggle as he would, he could not get free. Then he felt more inclined to cry than he ever had done in his life before. It was so very humiliating to be hung up there like a c.o.c.kchafer at the end of a pin.

When he found he could not get down by himself he began to shout for help.

"d.i.c.k, d.i.c.k, d.i.c.k!" but no d.i.c.k came. The fact was that d.i.c.k who had been unsuccessful in his chase after the b.u.t.terfly, had returned to the spot from whence he started, and then not seeing Jimmy about, he concluded that he had gone back to the others--and all the time Jimmy was still up in the tree shouting l.u.s.tily. d.i.c.k heard an inarticulate shouting, but never for one moment imagined it came from Jimmy. When, however, he saw that Jimmy was not with the others, he thought of the shouting; and they all went in search of the missing one, and when they found him they went into such fits of laughter that for some time no one could help him.

"Oh dear, Jimmy, you will be the death of me! This is worse than the big toe affair," said Frank.

"I say," said Jimmy, "don't tell anyone at home about this, there's a good fellow."

"All right, I won't."

Frank had agreed to row in the race, and while Jimmy and d.i.c.k sailed the yacht up to Norwich, he went for a racing spin in the four-oar, and found that he was in much better condition than he had thought.

When they reached Norwich they found some letters awaiting them. Frank after reading his, said,--

"Hallo, Master d.i.c.k, you never said that you were going to send that dog you bought at Mutford to my sister Mary."

"Didn't I?" answered d.i.c.k blushing.