A SUNNY COB NEB. 195 



The place the cuckoo had chosen to nest was 

 one of the most attractive spots on the grounds, 

 an opening in the woods in which, after the loss 

 of the trees, had grown up a thicket of wild ber- 

 ries. The bushes were nearly as high as one's 

 head, and so luxuriant that they made an im- 

 penetrable tangle, through which paths were cut 

 in all directions, and kept open by much work 

 each year. 



In the middle of the opening was a clump of 

 larger saplings, around the foot of two or three 

 very tall old basswood-trees, part of the origi- 

 nal forest. It was the paradise of small fruits. 

 Early in the season elderberries ripened, and 

 offered food to whoever would come. Before 

 they were gone the bushes were red with the 

 raspberry, and blackberries were ready to fol- 

 low; choke-cherries completed the list, and 

 lasted till into the fall. The insect enemies of 

 fruit were there in armies. 



Its constant supply of food, its shelter from 

 the winds on every side, and its admirable hid- 

 ing-places for nests, made this warm, sunny 

 corner the chosen home of many birds. War- 

 blers were there from early spring, heard, 

 though not always seen. Veeries nested on its 

 borders, woodpeckers haunted the dead trees at 

 the edge, and all the birds of the neighborhood 

 paid visits to it. 



