FRIENDS IX FEATHERS 



scooped out the Cow-bird egg, dropped it on the ground and vin- 

 dictively set his heel on it. I shuddered to think of the picture 

 he was spoiling by not allowing that egg to hatch, but there was 

 no use in asking him to leave it. There are times when Bob 

 can say no; he had reached his limit when he left two Cow-bird 

 eggs in the Warbler's nest. 



"I'm glad that's over," said Bob, drawing a long breath. 

 "I'll not stand having this little gray soul pestered again. If 

 that Cow-bird comes here to-morrow I'll take my shot-gun and 

 blow her to atoms." 



In a few minutes the Vireo was on the edge of her nest, peep- 

 ing inquiringly into it to see what had happened next. It really 

 seemed as if she ruffled her feathers with satisfaction as she 

 settled to brood on her two eggs. 



The following morning, Bob kept his word about standing 

 guard. He did not see the Cow-bird; but visiting his line of 

 nests down the bank, when he thought all danger to the Vireo 

 was over, found that this bird of brass had made a house-warming 

 party all by herself and laid ihe first egg in the newly completed 

 nest of a Song Sparrow in a wild crab. While he awaited my 

 arrival he noticed that the little father and mother Sparrow were 

 working feverishly, and when we reached the nest a new floor was 

 laid over the Cow-bird's egg, a Sparrow egg was deposited and 

 the mother was brooding. That made four eggs for the Cow- 

 bird, so we figured that it would be the last, but the morning after 

 Bob saw her sneaking up the opposite river-bank with such elab- 

 orate caution it made her conspicuous. 



She entered a thicket of wild rose and blackberry that con- 

 tained no nest of which we knew, so he did not follow her. But 

 wonder as to what she could have been doing there kept filling 

 his mind, so he stepped into his boat and started across the river, 

 in time to see her leaving the thicket in what appeared to be a 



270 



