AND THEIR NEIGHBORS. 
215 
unhappily the lives of two of the Bobolink 
family, and finally ended that of Bob himself. 
It was towards morning of a night in the 
latter part of June, that a mink, in passing 
through the meadow in search of food for 
himself and young, came across the nest of 
Bob. Now, my readers are doubtless aware 
that of all the favorite tit-bits of food for these 
animals, none are so acceptable as the eggs 
and young of small birds. On discovering the 
nest, the mink, without giving any warning, 
thrust his nose at once among the family, and, 
seizing Mrs. Bobolink with one ^harp bite, 
stretched her dead on the grass ; then turning 
to the young ones, who were fluttering out of 
the nest, he succeeded in catching and killing 
one, when Bob, awakened by the noise and 
cries of his family, flew fiercely at the invader, 
and attacked him with furious bites and blows ; 
for Bob, although vain and quarrelsome, was 
no coward, and the sight of his desolated 
home aroused all the fury of his anger. 
Mr. Mink, despising his pigmy assailant, 
waited a favorable opportunity, and seizing 
