There we saw the cock rising up and singing, then taking his turn upon the eggs; and by-and-by, we observed him cease to sing, and saw them both constantly engaged in bringing food to the young ones.  No unintelligible hint to fathers and mothers of the human race, who have, before marriage, taken delight in music.  But the time came for mowing the grass!  I waited a good many days for the brood to get away; but, at last, I determined on the day; and if the larks were there still, to leave a patch of grass standing round them.  In order not to keep them in dread longer than necessary, I brought three able mowers, who would cut the whole in about an hour; and as the plat was nearly circular, set them to mow round, beginning at the outside.  And now for sagacity indeed!  The moment the men began to whet their scythes, the two old larks began to flutter over the nest, and to make a great clamour.  When the men began to mow, they flew round and round, stooping so low, when near the men, as almost to touch their bodies, making a great chattering at the same time; but before the men had got round with the second swarth, they flew to the nest, and away they went, young ones and all, across the river, at the foot of the ground, and settled in the long grass in my neighbour’s orchard.

295.  The other instance relates to a HOUSE-MARTEN.  It is well known that these birds build their nests under the eaves of inhabited houses, and sometimes under those of door porches; but we had one that built its nest in the house, and upon the top of a common doorcase, the door of which opened into a room out of the main passage into the house.  Perceiving the marten had begun to build its nest here, we kept the front-door open in the daytime; but were obliged to fasten it at night.  It went on, had eggs, young ones, and the young ones flew.  I used to open the door in the morning early, and then the birds carried on their affairs till night.  The next year the MARTEN came again, and had another brood in the same place.  It found its old nest; and having repaired it, and put it in order, went on again in the former way; and it would, I dare say, have continued to come to the end of its life, if we had remained there so long, notwithstanding there were six healthy children in the house, making just as much noise as they pleased.

296.  Now, what sagacity in these birds, to discover that those were places of safety!  And how happy must it have made us, the parents, to be sure that our children had thus deeply imbibed habits the contrary of cruelty!  For, be it engraven on your heart, YOUNG MAN, that, whatever appearances may say to the contrary, cruelty is always accompanied with cowardice, and also with perfidy, when that is called for by the circumstances of the case; and that habitual acts of cruelty to other creatures, will, nine times out of ten, produce,