eared in
his hole far up the trunk of a great elm. Harry now took the lead down
the narrow path that led into the wood, parting the tangled branches
every now and then to get through, and all the time looking carefully
round for nests. They very soon heard the harsh cry of the jay, who was
letting all the inhabitants of the woodlands know that enemies were at
hand, and away flew the birds. The blackbird was the first to take the
alarm from the jay, and away he flew, crying, "Kink, kink, kink," as he
started from his nest in a great ivy tod on an old pollard-tree. The
lads soon found the nest, and peeped in, but instead of eggs there were
four wretched-looking little objects, all eyes and beak, with long,
scraggy necks, wide throats, and naked bodies with little downy tufts
upon them. All three had a peep, while Dick snapped his teeth together
as though to say he would like to make a meal of one or all of them; but
the callow brood was left unmolested for their yellow-billed parents to
take care of, while Harry led the way to the fox's cave. This, however,
proved rather a disappointment to Fred, who had been picturing to
himself a huge stalactite cavern, which they would require torches to
explore, while the cave in question proved to be only a hole in the side
of a gravelly ravine, big enough to creep in, certainly, but anything
but majestic in appearance; while the probabilities were that a fox had
never been in it since it was a hole. However, it was called the fox's
cave, and that was enough.

The waterfall was certainly better worthy of attention, for a tiny
stream trickled over a huge mossy rock, and fell with a musical plash
into a little rocky basin full of clear water; and all around it in the
damp soil grew mosses and ferns of luxuriant size. It was just such a
spot as the old poets used to write about--cool, and shaded from the
heat and glare of the sun; but, instead of there being wood-nymphs and
satyrs in the little dell, there was nothing but the three young
visitors, and plenty of toads and frogs which crawled and hopped away as
fast as ever they could.

"Oh, what a pretty place!" said Fred; "do let's stop here. Look, look,"
he exclaimed, "what's that?" as, like a streak of blue light, a bird
with rapid flight came down the dell, perched upon a bare twig just long
enough for the boys to see his bright colours, and then, seeing himself
watched, darted away again.

"That's a kingfisher," said Phi