A MIDSUMMER EXCURSION 



263 



habits. I will tell you what happens every season to 

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

 this strange l)ird. 



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

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



CoWBIRD. 



haps fl}' off for a few minutes. ^Meanwhile, peeping 

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

 an Q^g^ 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 Avill leave it there ! ' 

 This she does very quickly, and slips away again. 



" When the Sparrow comes home she may wonder at 



