was stunned!

First, as to his astonishment. While he was seated by the kitchen
fire chatting with his friend the smith, sometime between nine
o'clock and midnight, Dumsby summoned him to the lantern to "help in
catching to-morrow's dinner!"

Dove laughed at the summons, and they all went up.

The first thing that caught Ruby's eye at one of the window panes
was the round visage of an owl, staring in with its two large eyes as
if it had gone mad with amazement, and holding on to the iron frame
with its claws. Presently its claws lost hold, and it fell off into
outer darkness.

"What think ye o' that for a beauty?" said Forsyth. Ruby's eyes,
being set free from the fascination of the owl's stare, now made him
aware of the fact that hundreds of birds of all kinds--crows,
magpies, sparrows, tomtits, owls, larks, mavises, blackbirds, &c.
&c.--were fluttering round the lantern outside, apparently bent on
ascertaining the nature of the wonderful light within.

"Ah! poor things," said Forsyth, in answer to Ruby's look of wonder,
"they often visit us in foggy weather. I suppose they get out to sea
in the fog and can't find their way back to land, and then some of
them chance to cross our light and take refuge on it."

"Now I'll go out and get to-morrow's dinner," said Dumsby. He went
out accordingly, and, walking round the balcony that encircled the
base of the lantern, was seen to put his hand up and quietly take
down and wring the necks of such birds as he deemed suitable for his
purpose. It seemed a cruel act to Ruby, but when he came to think of
it he felt that, as they were to be stewed at any rate, the more
quickly they were killed the better!

He observed that the birds kept fluttering about, alighting for a few
moments and flying off again, all the time that Dumsby was at work,
yet Dumsby never failed to seize his prey.

Presently the man came in with a small basket full of game.

"Now, Ruby," said he, "I'll bet a sixpence that you don't catch a
bird within five minutes."

"I don't bet such large sums usually, but I'll try," said Ruby, going
out.

He tried and failed. Just as the five minutes were expiring, however,
the owl happened to alight before his nose, so he "nabbed" it, and
carried it in triumphantly.

"_That_ ain't a bird," said Dumsby.

"It's not a fish," retorted Ruby; "but how is it that you caught them
so easily, and I found it so difficult?"

"Because, lad, you must do it at the right ti