NESTLINGS OF FOREST AND MARSH 
The little pair in the blackberries, how- 
ever, took no such precautions. They were 
typical yellow-bird architects, and their home 
was built with an eye to sunshine and fresh 
air, and recklessly exposed to the gaze of 
every passer-by. The outside being com- 
plete, they brought silk from the pussy-wil- 
lows, padding it inside thickly and smoothly 
up to the rim. 
Alas! that wretched parasite among birds, 
the cowbird, found the pretty home and 
made it a cradle for one of her own ugly 
eggs. When this was discovered, there was 
great consternation in the warbler family for 
an hour or so. Then patiently, choosing 
the lesser of two evils, the little builders 
carefully constructed a second story on top 
of the first, leaving the intruder walled into 
the cellar. Scarcely was the structure com- 
pleted and one tiny blue egg laid, when the 
same catastrophe overtook it. This was too 
much, and I expected them to desert and 
build elsewhere, but with more than human 
perseverance they formed a third nest, even 
252 
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