768 
THE BIRDS THAT WE SEE. 
that is, nine inches in length. Its nest 
is usually built of dark rootlets ; thus 
we have a dark bird building, in a 
gloomy thicket, a black nest, to con¬ 
tain the brightest blue-green eggs that 
ever were laid. Their exquisite pale 
peacock color is Avithout equal among 
the eggs of our Eastern birds ; and, in 
this, without doubt, lies j^artly the rea¬ 
son why the catbird is not to be im¬ 
posed on by the cowbird. The egg of 
the latter is freckled with j)ale brown¬ 
ish spots, and contrasts strongly with 
the eggs of the former bird, so that the 
intruder is at once recognized, and the 
catbird, whose maternal instincts are 
of a high order, summarily ejects the 
embryo vagabond, and complacently 
proceeds with her own duties. 
Not so, however, that animated flake 
of gold, the yellow warbler, or, as he is 
called in many localities, “ willow-wren.” 
He is a slender little bird, about five 
inches long ; that is, an inch shorter 
than an English sparrow and much 
slimmer than that sturdy little in¬ 
vader. At first sight he seems to be 
all of a golden-yellow color, but a closer 
ins]3ection, Avhich he readily allows, 
shows that his back is tinged with olive 
and his breast streaked with chestnut. 
This gay little creature usually leads a 
merry life among the ornamental shrubs 
Cowbird. 
his mate and his nest, until, on an evil 
day, his new-made home is discovered 
by the prying eye of that ogre, the cow¬ 
bird, who quickly shifts, from herself 
Catbird. 
of the lawn, and fearlessly builds his 
dainty cradle of down close to the win- 
doAV, and flits merrily through the lilacs, 
or sings his simple warl^le again and 
again, and seems absolutely hap 2 Dy with 
to the Avarbler, the resjDonsibility of her 
next offsjoring. The Avoe of the war¬ 
blers on discovering the foundling egg 
is exceedingly touching. They 
are not duped any more than 
are the catbirds, they know 
quite well what it means ; but 
not having the strength to 
eject the intruding egg, they 
usually resign themselves to 
their lot and attempt to rear 
the stranger with their own 
family, for Avith these birds to 
desert their nest is out of the 
question. But it not unfre- 
quently hajAjAens that the hasty 
coAvBird dejAosits her egg be¬ 
fore the warbler has begun to 
lay, and then the bright little 
builders, on recovering from 
the first disagreeable shock of 
surprise, have avoided the ap- 
j)arent alternatives of deserting their 
nest or rearing the stranger, by building 
a new story to the nest, thereby relegat¬ 
ing the intmsive egg to decay in the 
cellar. One instance is on record where 
