TRIALS OF A BIRD'S LIFE. 51 



thrusli, and so the rumor spreads ulitil all the 

 feathered tenants are apprised of your unwel- 

 come presence. 



Much as birds sometimes quarrel among 

 themselves, they all seem to be allied against 

 their common foes, and give one another the 

 alarm at the approach of what they look upon 

 as a common danger. I have been trying to 

 account for the fact that the cow bunting, 

 which spirits its eggs into other birds' nests, is 

 tolerated in birdland. You seldom see an- 

 other bird chasing it about. Perhaps the fol- 

 lowing is the reason: No bird is more alert 

 for intruders than the bunting as it sits among 

 the branches, having no brood-rearing of its 

 own to attend to, and no bird gives the alarm 

 quicker as one nears its precincts. It seems to 

 realize that its own eggs or little ones in some 

 other bird's nest are in danger, and so it sounds 

 the tocsin to put the foster parents on their 

 guard. The bird seems to be as uneasy about 

 its children as if it assumed the care of them 

 itself. Thus the bunting may not be an un- 

 mixed evil in the bird world, after all ; he may 

 perform the useful role of sentinel. 



But, in spite of all the natural cunning of 

 the birds, many real dangers beset their lives, 

 and many sad tragedies occur, A time of 



