VII.
_CHARLEY FOSTER'S PETS._
"Sweet is the love which Nature brings."--WORDSWORTH.
On the following Saturday afternoon the children went to see theircousins.
As soon as they arrived, Tom said to Jack, "I saw Charley Fosteryesterday, and told him we would go to see him this afternoon. I askedhim that, if he had any birds' eggs to spare, would he give them to you,that you might take them back with you to London. He said he should bemost happy to do so; and that we had better stop till after tea, and gohome in the cool of the evening. So," continued Tom, "as soon as you'reready we'll be off."
"I'm ready now," said Jack; so the boys started for Charley Foster'shouse, which was about half a mile off, along the upper edge of thewood, so the walk was a pleasant one.
Presently they saw two men come out of the wood with large,square-looking packages, covered over with black linen.
"What are those men doing?" asked Jack; "and what have they got in thosepackages?"
"They are bird-catchers, and those are the traps and cages for thebirds. It's a downright shame to keep a thing with wings in a cage. Ican't see what pleasure it can be to listen to their song when they areshut up like that. I like plenty of room myself, and so do birds," saidTom.
"What birds have those men been catching?"
"Linnets and goldfinches chiefly. They get nightingales, too, out ofthese woods: they are very easy birds to trap, as they are not shy; butit is now rather too late to catch them. The bird-catchers are afterthem about the middle of April, when they first come back to England."
"Do nightingales sing only at night, Tom?"
"No; they sing pretty nearly all day long, only you don't notice thembecause other birds are singing too. They begin their night song betweenten and eleven o'clock, when other birds are quiet, and that's the timeto hear them if you happen to be awake. There's Charley Foster's house,that low white house on the left hand side of the road. There's Charley,too, looking out for us."
Charley was two or three years older than Tom, but having the sametastes they were often together.
Charley took them at once to his "den," as he called it, a small room atone end of the straggling house, reached by a long passage.
"Here," said Charley, "I can do what I like, and make my litters withoutdisturbing anybody."
Not but that the room was orderly, otherwise Charley would never havebeen able to find his things when he wanted them.
He told Jack that he had already put up a box of birds' eggs for him,with a list and description of the eggs in it.
CHARLEY FOSTER'S COLLECTION._Page 68._]
"I'm tremendously obliged to you, I'm sure," said Jack.
"Not at all," said Charley; "I like to give to any one who really caresfor such things: besides, I've not been very generous, as I have onlyput in those eggs of which I have other specimens. There are some verygood sorts, though, in your box; for, you see, I've been collecting forsome time. Tom, I've got an owl's egg for you, that white one, and twojay's eggs--dull green, speckled with olive brown. Look here, too! I'vegot a jay itself, which a farmer who lives near here shot and gave tome. I'm going to try and stuff it."
"What pretty blue and black wings it has!" said Jack.
"Yes; it's a handsome but a very thievish bird. It's very clever, too,in imitating all kinds of sounds that it hears. It will bleat like alamb, mew like a cat, neigh like a horse, and imitate the sawing ofwood exactly."
"How are the red starts getting on?" asked Tom.
"All right," said Charley; "the young birds are hatched now."
Charley turned to Jack, and explained that there was a pair of redstarts that had a nest just outside of the window of the room,--"as youcan see."
Jack went to the window and saw in a hole of the low roof a littlebluish-gray bird with a white crown sitting on a nest; and presently hermate came with his red tail wagging, bringing an insect in his beak.
Now Jack could see several little red starts poking out their heads fromunder their mother's wings, all looking as if they wanted to be fedfirst.
"This is the third year that these red starts have built their nest inthat hole," said Charley. "Before that, it seemed as if a pair ofsparrows had looked upon the hole as belonging to them, for when thered starts first came there were a good many fights between them and thesparrows.
"One day when the hen red start was sitting, two sparrows made a deadset at her; and although she behaved in a very plucky manner, she wasgetting the worst of it. She then uttered a peculiar cry, and her matecame to her help directly; and between them they drove off the sparrows.
"That seemed to be the final battle, for there were only a few triflingskirmishes after that, and the red starts have considered that holetheir own private property ever since."
Charley next showed Jack his collection of butterflies, moths, andbeetles; and after the boys had finished looking at these beautiful andcurious creatures, it was time for tea, so they went downstairs.
When they had finished tea, Charley said, "We will go out of doors andsee our old raven, Grip."
There were all sorts of odd places outside of this rambling old housewhich Charley said "just suited him."
In a little enclosure by the side of the kitchen garden was Grip's home.He was kept at night, for safety, in a large wooden cage with open bars,something like a hen-coop; but in the day he had his liberty--althoughhe did not wander far away, for he was very tame.
"He knows all the sounds of the poultry-yard," said Charley, "only Iexpect he won't show off when we want him to do so. One morning, he hadnot been let out of his cage, and he wanted his breakfast. He called'Cluck, cluck, cluck,' just as a hen calls her chickens. In fact somechickens really thought it was their mother calling them, and they ranto Grip! I am sorry to say he helped himself to one of them; the otherswere frightened and made their escape. Ever since then Grip has been inhis present quarters; he was too near the poultry-yard before. Many atime has he cackled like a hen that has laid an egg, so that the maidshave gone out to look for the egg. He will get up into that elm-treethere and crow so exactly like a cock that he will set off all the cocksin the poultry-yard; and, in fact, all the cocks in the neighborhoodthat are within hearing will start crowing."
"He knows we are talking about him--Don't you, old Grip?"
Grip gave a croak, as much as to say "Yes," and turned his wise-lookingold head, first on one side then on the other, in a very knowingfashion.
The boys were just going, when there was a long loud crow from Grip,exactly like a cock's, which made them all turn round.
"Before we had Grip we had a jackdaw," said Charley. "He was a veryclever bird. He used to go round to the kitchen window every day at acertain hour, for a potato that the cook used to give him. If it was notready she would tell him so, and he would go away for a while, but healways came back for it.
"One evening he was shut out of his roosting-place by accident, so hewent to the glass doors of the dining-room, which lead into the garden,and tapped on them loudly with his beak till some one went to let himin. He hopped about the room, and looked as much as to say,--'I want tobe shown to my bedroom.'
"Poor Jacky! he was killed by an accident; and then we had Grip in hisstead.
"You know we have a pair of hedgehogs, Tom," said Charley. "Well,they've got some young ones; suppose we go and see them."
The boys went into the kitchen garden, and in a thick hedge at thebottom they came to the nest which the hedgehogs had made on the ground.It had a sort of roof to keep the rain off, and inside it was lined withmoss and leaves.
"I never saw a hedgehog," said Jack.
"Well, now, that is one there," said Tom.
Jack saw a little creature rather more than nine inches long, with athick body, a long snout, short legs, and no tail to speak of. It wascovered with spines, and could make itself into a ball whenever itpleased or when it was frightened, and then no dog or beast could touchthe little spiky ball.
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sp; "The mother is inside the nest with her young ones," said Charley. "Theyare about a fortnight old. These hedgehogs are very tame and know mewell. I'll try to get her to come out of the nest."
Charley went to the cabbage bed and found some slugs, which he put on toa leaf, and called to the hedgehog. She soon made her appearance, andthe little ones with her, so the boys had a good look at the funnylittle things.
"I say, Charley, you won't want six hedgehogs," said Tom. "Can't youspare me a pair, when these little ones have grown bigger?"
"I daresay I can," said Charley, "I suppose your mother wouldn't mindhaving them in the garden: they are apt to make little holes in thepaths, but then they eat slugs and insects. They are quiet, too, in theday time, but get lively towards evening.
"They are useful little creatures, and soon get tame. I have heard oftheir being kept in kitchens to eat up the crickets and beetles there,sleeping all day and awake at night when these creatures are about. Theyeat vegetables and soaked bread, and are easy little things to keep."
"I wish I could see one roll itself into a ball," said Jack.
"Oh, that's soon done," said Charley. He took a stick and gently pokedthe hedgehog they saw first. "There, see now! he is bending his head,and drawing his skin over it like a hood, and closing himself up. Seehow stiffly his spikes stick out all over the round ball that he is."
"Well, that is funny," said Jack. "I wonder how he manages to do it?"
"He knows the trick of it," said Tom; "for you can't possibly open himagainst his will."
The boys left the hedgehog to uncurl himself when he pleased, and nextwent to a cucumber frame where Charley kept a pet toad.
"Don't toads spit poison?" asked Jack.
"No; that's all nonsense. Their skins secrete something unpleasant,which they can make come out of it when they are frightened or indanger. Dogs don't like catching hold of a toad with their mouths; butthey are perfectly harmless, in fact they are very useful in a garden,as they eat slugs, beetles, caterpillars, and earwigs. See, this onewill eat out of my hand; but I must find something for him first."
Charley soon found a fat little slug, which he brought to the toad; andhe at once ate it from his hand.
"I'll find you something else, old boy;" and Charley soon found a fly,which was snapped up by the toad in a twinkling.
"What beautiful bright eyes he has!" said Jack.
"Yes; and he makes good use of them, too. Didn't you notice how quicklyhe darted out his tongue after the fly?--I say, Mr. Toad, I believe youare growing out of your skin."
"What do you mean, Charley?"
"Don't you see he has grown so much lately that his skin is very tight,and it is looking dull. He'll soon cast it off. It will split down hisback, and then he will draw his legs out of it.--And you'll have a nicenew suit complete, won't you, old Toady?"
"I think frogs are very interesting creatures too," said Tom.
"So they are," said Charley. "I often stand by our pond down there andwatch them. The pond is in a damp part of the garden; just what frogslike. In the spring there's a lot of that spotted, jelly-looking stuff,which is the frogs' spawn, or eggs, about the pond.
"By-and-by, in about a month or so, a tadpole comes out of the egg.There are swarms of them wriggling about the water, with heads andbodies and tails, but no legs. In about six weeks more the legs begin togrow, and gradually the tadpole changes into a frog. See what a numberof young frogs there are hopping about here on the edge of the pond!They are just out of their tadpole stage. They'll eat just what toadseat, so they do no harm in a garden."
"I think I'll take some home with me and put them into the little pondin grandpapa's garden," said Jack; "for I shall like to watch themgrowing."
So Jack caught a few carefully, and tied them loosely in his pockethandkerchief.
"Well," said Tom, "I think we must say good-bye, Charley; it's abouttime for us to go home."
"We must not forget the box of birds' eggs; and thank you," said Jack.
"No," said Charley; "I'll fetch the box and go home part of the way withyou. It's a very fine evening for a walk."