A MIDSUMMER EXCURSION 



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habits. I will tell you what happens every season to 

 some poor AVarbler, Sparrow, or Vireo, on account of 

 this strange bird. 



" A Song Sparrow builds her nest in the grass ; an 

 egg is laid, the bird looks proudly at it, and may per- 



COWBIRD. 



haps fly off for a few minutes. Meanwhile, peeping 

 and spying, along comes a Cowbird. She wants to lay 

 an egg, too, but has no home, because she is too lazy 

 and shiftless to build one. She sees the Sparrow's nest 

 and thinks, ' Ah, hah ! that bird is smaller than I am, 

 and cannot push my egg out ; I will leave it there ! ' 

 This she does very quickly, and slips away again. 



" When the Sparrow comes h(mie she may wonder at 



