ing long after he can take care of him 

 self, then desert her to join his own 

 tribe in the grain fields." 



"Last year my mate had no better 

 sense than to brood one of Mrs. Cow- 

 bird's eggs," said Mr. Chipping Spar 

 row. "It emerged from the shell first, 

 of course, and in attending to its ever 

 lasting clamor for food she neglected 

 her own birdlings so that all but one of 

 them died. That one has always been 

 a puny, weak little thing. We were 

 greatly astonished, I assure you, at the 

 size of our first offspring, neither of us 

 being acquainted with the habits of Mrs. 

 Cowbird, and disappointed that in 

 neither feather nor feature it resembled 

 her or me." 



"I got the best of the lazy tribe, this 

 year," chuckled Mr. Yellow Warbler. 

 "Our nest was just completed, and my 

 mate had deposited one egg, when in 

 our absence one day Mrs. Ccfwbird 

 sneaked in, laid one of her own beside 

 it and then stealthily crept away. My 

 mate said nothing, and might have 

 brooded it with her own, but the next 

 day the same thing, in our absence, oc 

 curred again; another female of the 

 lazy tribe, I presume, finding our home 

 quite to her liking." 



"Two to one," said the Chat with a 

 laugh, "that was not fair. Well, what 

 did you do then?" 



"Why we concluded to abandon the 

 nest and build another, but on second 

 thought gave up that plan. We simply 

 built a floor over the lower portion of 

 the nest, and on the upper floor, or 

 second story, so to speak, my mate de 

 posited four eggs, those, with the one 

 shut in with the Cowbird's, making her 

 full complement, you see." 



"It would have been far easier, it 

 seems to me," said Mr. Towhee, "to 

 have thrown Mrs. Cowbird's eggs 

 out of the nest as we did. But then 

 you and your mate must learn by ex 

 perience and you will know better what 

 to do the next time." 



"Doubtless," said Mr. Yellow-throat, 

 a trifle stiffly, "but my mate is a very 

 dainty bird and wouldn't for a moment 

 think of using a cradle for her little 

 ones that had been occupied, even for 

 a short time, by two female tramps." 



"Hm!" replied Mr. Towhee, in his 



turn not altogether pleased, "that ac 

 counts probably for the number of 

 abandoned nests one meets with every 

 year, containing a speckled egg of 

 Mrs. Cowbird's. Too dainty, indeed!" 



"Did you ever happen to see one of 

 the homeless creatures seeking some 

 body's else nest in which to lay her 

 egg?" interrupted Mr. Chipping Spar 

 row, scenting a quarrel in the air. "I 

 saw one in the woods once sneaking 

 through the undergrowth, and when 

 Mr. and Mrs. Red-eyed Vireo had flown 

 away for a little time, out she crept, 

 inspected their nest, and, finding it to 

 her taste, entered and deposited her 

 egg. She felt sure, you see, that Mrs. 

 Vireo had a kind heart and would hatch 

 out the foundling with her own." 



"And she did," sadly said Mr. Vireo, 

 "she did." 



"The company the tribe keeps is no 

 better than themselves," said Mr. 

 Wood Thrush. "During the breeding- 

 season you will see the grackles, and 

 red-winged blackbirds, andthe cowbirds 

 chattering and gossipping together, as 

 they roost for the night. They are a 

 lawless crew. No self-respecting bird 

 will be found in such company." 



"I saw a number of the cowbird tribe 

 perching on the backs of a bunch of 

 cattle in the pasture-land to-day," said 

 a very young Mr. Flycather. "What do 

 you suppose they were doing?" 



"Searching for parasites," gruffly said 

 an old bird; "that's the reason they are 

 called cowbirds. They were once 

 called 'buffalo birds' for the same rea 

 son." 



No one spoke for the space of sev 

 eral minutes. 



"If there are no further remarks, said 

 Mr. Red-eyed Vireo, "the question will 

 be put. All in favor 



"What is the question, Mr. Chair 

 man?" meekly asked a very young Mr. 

 Flycatcher. 



"Is it or is it not our duty to destroy 

 every egg of Mrs. Cowbird's we find in 

 our nests, thus forcing the tribe to build 

 homes of their own in which to bring 

 up their familes? All in favor 



"Ay," chirruped every bird at once. 



"Contrary minded?" 



There was no response, so the meet 

 ing was declared adjourned. 



196 



