ice as big as Chebec's
own children," sputtered Jenny. "He'll be so big that he'll get most
of the food. He'll just rob those little Chebecs in spite of all
their mother and father can do. And Chebec and his wife will be just
soft-hearted enough to work themselves to skin and bone to feed the
young wretch because he is an orphan and hasn't anybody to look after
him. The worst of it is, Sally Sly is likely to play the same trick on
others. She always chooses the nest of some one smaller than herself.
She's terribly sly. No one has seen her about. She just sneaked into
the Old Orchard this morning when everybody was busy, laid that egg and
sneaked out again."

"Did you say that she is a member of the Blackbird family?" asked Peter.

Jenny Wren nodded vigorously. "That's what she is," said she. "Thank
goodness, she isn't a member of MY family. If she were I never would be
able to hold my head up. Just listen to Goldy the Oriole over in that
big elm. I don't see how he can sing like that, knowing that one of his
relatives has just done such a shameful deed. It's a queer thing that
there can be two members of the same family so unlike. Mrs. Goldy builds
one of the most wonderful nests of any one I know, and Sally Sly is too
lazy to build any. If I were in Goldy's place I--"

"Hold on!" cried Peter. "I thought you said Sally Sly is a member of
the Blackbird family. I don't see what she's got to do with Goldy the
Oriole."

"You don't, eh?" exclaimed Jenny. "Well, for one who pokes into other
people's affairs as you do, you don't know much. The Orioles and the
Meadow Larks and the Grackles and the Bobolinks all belong to the
Blackbird family. They're all related to Redwing the Blackbird, and
Sally Sly the Cowbird belongs in the same family."

Peter gasped. "I--I--hadn't the least idea that any of these folks were
related," stammered Peter.

"Well, they are," retorted Jenny Wren. "As I live, there's Sally Sly
now!"

Peter caught a glimpse of a brownish-gray bird who reminded him somewhat
of Mrs. Redwing. She was about the same size and looked very much like
her. It was plain that she was trying to keep out of sight, and the
instant she knew that she had been discovered she flew away in the
direction of the Old Pasture. It happened that late that afternoon Peter
visited the Old Pasture and saw her again. She and some of her friends
were busily walking about close to the feet of the cows, where they
seemed to be picking u