cried all the rest of the rooks up in the high limes.
And then such a chorus broke forth that the whole of Greenlawn was in a
state of alarm, and called a meeting in the cedar to know what was the
matter.

"There's somebody shot," said Mr Specklems, the starling.

"Nonsense," said the thrush; "there was no pop. It must be something
much worse than that."

"Send some one to ask," said the jackdaw.

"Ah! to be sure," said everybody in chorus; and so it was decided that
the jackdaw should go and see, and then come back and deliver his
report.

Off he went; and all the time he was gone the birds in the cedar made a
noise of their own, almost equal to that in the rookery, till the
jackdaw came back looking so cunning and knowing, that every one could
plainly see that nothing very serious was the matter.

As soon as he got up to his place in the cedar all the birds crowded
round him to make inquiries; but the daw began to teaze them, and
wouldn't tell anything for a few minutes, and then in a half whisper he
said something to the starling.

"Tchitch!" said Specklems, "is that all? why I'd have two dozen
hatchings without making one half of that disturbance. Dear friends,"
he continued, turning round to the assembled birds, "dear friends, it's
a great to-do about nothing at all; for all that hullabaloo is because
there are some young rooks hatched."

"Boo! oh! er! ah!" cried all the birds in all sorts of tones of disgust
and annoyance. "What a shame.--Stupid things," and many other
expressions of indignation at being startled about such a piece of
rubbish, burst from the birds; and directly after there was a whirl, and
a rush, for all the birds darted off in the greatest haste to get to
their business again, to make up for lost time; and would not leave it
afterwards although a jay flew over screaming harshly; and a stray hen
got in the garden scratching the flower beds, and had to be hunted out;
nor yet even when Mrs Puss came slinking down the garden, and round all
the flower beds; for this was a terribly busy time, and every moment was
of value, though certainly food began to be much more plentiful now the
warm and genial sun began to shine longer every day, and made bud after
bud burst into beautiful emerald green leaves, that made the trees cast
a deeper shade, and began to conceal the nests--even those of the rooks
up in the tall limes.

CHAPTER FIVE.

PRETTY PUSSY.

A nice job had Mr and Mrs Spottl