The Burgess Bird Book for Children 



now it has hatched and I don't know whatever is 

 to become of Redeye's own children. It's perfectly 

 scandalous ! That's what it is, perfectly scandal- 

 ous !" cried Jenny, and hopped about and jerked 

 her tail and worked herself into a small brown 

 fury. 



"The Redeyes are working themselves to feath- 

 ers and bone feeding that ugly young Cowbird 

 while their own babies aren't getting half enough 

 to eat," continued Jenny. "One of them has died 

 already. He was kicked out of the nest by that 

 young brute." 



" How dreadful !" cried Peter. " If he does things 

 like that I should think the Redeyes would throw 

 him out of the nest." 



"They're too soft-hearted," declared Jenny. 

 "I can tell you I wouldn't be so soft-hearted if I 

 were in their place. No, sir-ee, I wouldn't ! But 

 they say it isn't his fault that he's there, and that 

 he's nothing but a helpless baby, and so they just 

 take care of him." 



"Then why don't they feed their own babies 

 first and give him what's left ?" demanded Peter. 



"Because he's twice as big as any of their own 

 babies and so strong and greedy that he simply 

 snatches the food out of the very mouths of the 

 others. Because he gets most of the food, he's 

 growing twice as fast as they are. I wouldn't be 

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