to the ground revealed the location of a Song 
Sparrow's nest* In open and unwarranted con- 
fidence it was placed on the ground, though built 
with care and compactly rounded* The five eggs 
were carefully and regularly placed with their 
small ends downward* They were pale, almost 
white, with the rich brown spots crowding and 
clustering on the larger ends as if they were freckled 
by exposure to the sun* It seemed a tempting of the 
fates thus to risk the depredations of thoughtless 
boys and vagrant cats* Sometimes the Song Sparrow 
builds near the ground in a bush, but this one had 
risked the level surface* Three days later good 
fortune and assiduous devotion to parental duties 
had combined to reward the mother with three nest- 
lings, their big, round eyes still unopened, but their 
gaping throats revealing a misplaced confidence in 
the bounty of intruders* On the following day there 
was a genuine surprise* Crowding the three nestlings 
and the two unhatched eggs was a half -fledged 
intruder from another family* How did it get there i 
84 
