206 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Then there were the eggs of so many different shapes, colors and 

 sizes. In nearly every nest we found one egg that was foreign to the 

 eggs of that nest, and we concluded that they were the eggs of some 

 of the cow-birds that we noticed staying in our poultry yard, for the 

 cow-bird shirks the responsibilities of motherhood. 



In the fall we noticed the birds in large flocks, and we told the 

 children of the long journey they were about to take to the south- 

 land. 



This one season was very rich in the knowledge we gained of 

 birds and their ways. We had a list of over thirty birds, while many 

 had baffled our attempts at identification. The children's list was nat- 

 urally smaller. Among the birds that had been especially interest- 

 ing to them was the meadow lark, bobolink, song sparrow, chipping 

 sparrow, red-eyed vireo, oriole, yellow warbler, goldfinch, catbird, 

 red-winged blackbird, cedar bird and especially a little flock of sand- 

 pipers. 



But the bird with whom we formed the most intimate acquain- 

 tance was the meadow lark. Our home was on the prairies, and this 

 afforded us the very best opportunity to observe this bird. It was 

 our delight from day to day in the early spring to listen to the clear, 

 spirited whistle of the male as he sat on the top of some of the small 

 trees that lined our driveway. As soon as he had sounded the last 

 note there came the responding trill of the female from the ground 

 where she seemed to keep up an incessant search in the grass. 



Then they disappeared from our notice, but soon again we saw 

 the male on his acqustomed perch and noticed the female making 

 numerous trips from our lawn to a point in the field. We knew what 

 had taken place, and we were all interested to watch this new epoch 

 of bird career. The mother bird would come frequently beneath 

 the window where we saw her sink her long bill into the ground 

 and pull up angleworm after angleworm. She would eat a portion 

 of the worm herself but leave about an inch of the thickest part of 

 each worm to take to her little ones. These pieces she would take 

 with her from place to place until she had as many as she could 

 carry in her bill. Then away she flew only to return in a few mo- 

 ments to repeat the quest of food. All the while the father acted as 

 sentry, his post of duty being the top of the same trees, and we 

 often wondered when and where he dined. 



Very soon the English sparrow appeared upon the scene. He 

 was very quick to see an opportunity of making a rich haul by 

 means of his wit rather than by the patient, honest labor that the 

 lark was giving. With a sudden dart he would snatch the 



