114 WAKE-—ROBIN 
ground, It was quite a massive nest, composed 
entirely of the stalks and leaves of dry grass, with 
an inner lining of fine, dark brown roots. The 
eggs, three in number, were of light flesh-color, 
uniformly specked with fine brown specks. The 
cavity of the nest was so deep that the back of the 
sitting bird sank below the edge. 
In the top of a tall tree, a short distance farther 
on, I saw the nest of the red-tailed hawk, —a large 
mass of twigs and dry sticks. The young had 
flown, but still lingered in the vicinity, and, as I 
approached, the mother bird flew about over me, 
squealing in a very angry, savage manner. Tufts 
of the hair and other indigestible material of the 
common meadow mouse lay around on the ground 
beneath the nest. 
As I was about leaving the woods my hat almost 
brushed the nest of the red-eyed vireo, which hung 
basket-like on the end of alow, drooping branch of 
the beech. I should never have seen it had the 
bird kept her place. It contained three eggs of the 
bird’s own, and one of the cow bunting. The 
strange egg was only just perceptibly larger than 
the others, yet three days after, when I looked into 
the nest again and found all but one egg hatched, 
the young interloper was at least four times as large 
as either of the others, and with such a superabun- 
dance of bowels as to almost smother his bedfellows 
beneath them. That the intruder should fare the 
same as the rightful occupants, and thrive with 
them, was more than ordinary potluck; but that it 
