Some Unlike Relatives 



Peter shook his head and confessed that he 

 didn't. "When that egg hatches out, that young 

 Cowbird will be about twice as big as Chebec's 

 own children," sputtered Jenny. "He'll be so 

 big that he'll get most of the food. He'll just rob 

 those little Chebecs in spite of all their mother and 

 father can do. And Chebec and his wife will be 

 just soft-hearted enough to work themselves to 

 skin and bone to feed the young wretch because he 

 is an orphan and hasn't anybody to look after 

 him. The worst of it is, Sally Sly is likely to play 

 the same trick on others. She always chooses 

 the nest of some one smaller than herself. She's 

 terribly sly. No one has seen her about. She 

 just sneaked into the Old Orchard this morning 

 when everybody was busy, laid that egg and 

 sneaked out again." 



"Did you say that she is a member of the Black- 

 bird family?" asked Peter. 



Jenny Wren nodded vigorously. "That's what 

 she is," said she. "Thank goodness, she isn't a 

 member of my family. If she were I never would 

 be able to hold my head up. Just listen to Goldy 

 the Oriole over in that big elm. I don't see how 

 he can sing like that, knowing that one of his 

 relatives has just done such a shameful deed. 

 It's a queer thing that there can be two members 

 of the same family so unlike. Mrs. Goldy builds 

 [851 



