lowers, and
brought her nice fat worms and flies to eat, and was just the best
little Bobolink husband in the whole garden.

And after a while a faint "_peep-peep_" was heard, the eggs all cracked,
and out came four little blind birdies, without any feathers, and ugly
enough, you would have said, but their papa and mamma thought them
lovely. One, however, was as large as the other three put together, and
took up so much room that Linny said: "Oh dear, we have made the nest
too small! When the children grow larger, some will be crowded out."

"That is strange," said Robert, "for it is the same size as the other
Bobolinks have built, and they have plenty of room."

"Yes, but just see how big one of the babies is," said Linny.

Just then Robert saw the Cuckoo on a tree near by, winking one eye, and
laughing until her sides shook, and exclaimed: "I see how it is: that
old thief of a Cuckoo has laid an egg in our nest. I will throw her ugly
child out, and she can look after it herself;" and he made a dive for
the little Cuckoo, but Linny caught him by his tail-feathers, saying:

"No, no; poor little fellow, he will die if you throw him on the ground.
Let him stay until he gets too big for the nest."

So the Cuckoo staid. But he was a very bad bird, for after a while, when
he and the little Bobolinks got their eyes open, and had nice coats of
feathers, he would peck at his companions, and take away all the best
bits of bread and fattest worms that their papa and mamma brought them
home for dinner, and was so cross and greedy that Robert would have
pitched him out on the grass if Linny had not begged he might stay a
little longer, and tried to make him behave better.

The apple-tree was now covered with pink and white blossoms, which grew
around the little nest and made it like a bower. And now the birdies
were learning to fly, and could go to the outer branches of the tree,
where they sat in a row, while their father taught them how to sing.

"Bob-o-link, bob-o-link, spink, spank, spink," sang Robert. And the
little ones, who could not speak plain, all repeated, "Bob-o-link,
bob-o-link, pink, pank, pink"--all except the biggest bird, who would
only say, "Cuckoo, cuckoo," in a harsh voice.

At last, one day, Robert said, "Now, children, you are old enough to
leave the tree, and to-day you must begin to go a little way into the
garden."

"Yes," said their mother, "but take care, and never sit on the ground,
for there