to flee. She perked up her
tail till she looked like an exaggerated wren; she humped her shoulders;
she turned this way and that, showing in every movement her anger at my
intrusion; above all, she repeated at short intervals that squawk, like
an enraged hen. Hearing a rustle of wings on the other side, I turned my
eyes an instant, and when I looked again she had gone! She would not run
while I looked at her, but she had the true chat instinct of keeping out
of sight.

She did not desert her grove, however. The canopy over my head, the roof
to my retreat, was of green leaves, translucent, almost transparent. The
sun was the sun of Utah; it cast strong shadows, and not a bird could
move without my seeing it. I could see that she remained on guard,
hopping and flying silently from one point of view to another, no doubt
keeping close watch of me all the time.

Meanwhile the chat himself had not for a moment ceased calling. For some
time his voice would sound quite near; then it would draw off, growing
more and more distant, as if he were tired of watching one who did
absolutely nothing. But he never got far away before madam recalled him,
sometimes by the squawk alone, sometimes preceding it by a single clear
whistle, exactly in his own tone. At once, as if this were a
signal,--which doubtless it was,--his cries redoubled in energy, and
seemed to come nearer again.

Above the restless demonstrations of the chats I could hear the clear,
sweet song of the Western meadow-lark in the next field. Well indeed
might his song be serene; the minstrel of the meadow knew perfectly well
that his nest and nestlings were as safely hidden in the middle of the
growing lucern as if in another planet; while the chat, on the contrary,
was plainly conscious of the ease with which his homestead might be
discovered. A ruthless destroyer, a nest-robbing boy, would have had the
whole thing in his pocket days ago. Even I, if I had not preferred to
have the owners show it to me: if I had not made excuses to myself, of
the marsh, of bushes too low to go under; if I had not hated to take it
by force, to frighten the little folk I wished to make friends
with,--even I might have seen the nest long before that morning. Thus I
meditated as, after waiting an hour or two, I started for home.

Outside the gate I met my fellow-student, and we went on together. Our
way lay beside an old orchard that we had often noticed in our walks.
The trees were not f