8 THE SAUCY BIRD. 



The husband wiped his bill. " I am glad there is no rent to pay," 

 said he. 



Well, they did not know what was going to happen. They 

 sang and were very happy, till one day, when they were both gone 

 from home, a great brown bird came visiting. She walked in with- 

 out knocking, and sat down in the nest. It was a lazy cow-bird, 

 who had really no manners at all. 



" I wish I had a pretty home like this, but I shall not take the 

 trouble to make one," said she. 



And the next thing she did was to lay an egg. Could anything 

 have been more impolite ? It was rather larger than the other eggs, 

 and not pink, like an apple-blossom, but brown, like a ball of mud. 



It was quite too bad; and when little Mr. and Mrs. Gnat-Snapjier 

 came home they were very angry, and very much surprised to find 

 a strange egg in the nest. "But we cannot help it now," said little 

 madam, ready to cry. " And, oh, dear, if I sit on my own pretty 

 pink eggs I must sit on the big, brown, homely egg, too ! " 



Yes ; and so she did. Soon her own birdie-babies came out of the 

 pink eggs, and lovely blue darlings they were. But in a little while 

 the big egg opened, and out stepped a lazy brown bird. 



Papa scolded, and little madam cried. 



" But we cannot help it now," said she. " And we must feed the 

 big bird, too; it will never do to let her starve." 



Starve? There was no danger of her starving! Oh, how she did 

 eat! She seized all the best food that was brought to the nest, and 

 the other birdies had to take what was left. And then, how she 

 did push! 



" This is my home," said she to the little blue nestlings, — " this 

 is my home, and there is no room for you. Why do you stay here 

 and crowd me so?" 



Papa scolded; but the brown bird pushed and pushed. 



" We cannot help it, I suppose," said little madam, weeping. 

 " Our darlings must go, or there will be no peace." 



So, as soon as might be, the little blue sisters tried their wings, 

 and one by one they flew away into the wide, wide world. 



And then the little cow-bird was happy, for she had the whrile 

 nest to herself. 



