was Put out to Nurse 
eggs—just one ; and if I take out one of 
hers perhaps she won't be any wiser.’ 
No sooner said than done. Her own 
egg, a speckled brown one, was put into 
the nest, and one of the pretty blue 
ones taken out. In her haste, this was 
broken, for she didn’t want to be found 
out doing it; and as her own, though 
not quite a match in colour, was not so 
very much larger than the others, she 
hurried away, hoping the change would 
never be noticed. 
And, sure enough, when Mrs. Hedge- 
sparrow came back to her nest she never 
noticed that her eggs had been meddled 
with—it was so dark under the green 
leaves; of the thick hedge that she 
couldn’t see very well—and so she went 
on sitting on them and keeping them 
warm night and day, until she could feel 
207 
