worm. He looks, as he used to do, for Rob, who lay at the side of the nest.

"Give it," said the hen, "to Dick; Rob must get his food the last this day; nay, I do not know if I shall let him have food at all the whole day."

Dick did not wish to grieve Rob; but when his Ma told him not to keep his Pa, he parts his beak and took the nice worm.

"What can be wrong here?" said the cock, when his mouth was free; "can one of my young ones have done what was not right? But I may not stop to ask just now, for I have left a fine worm which may be gone if I do not make haste back.

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As soon as he had gone, Dick said how great a wish he had that Rob might be let in the nest once more; but, as he sat full of wrath and pride, that the first born should be put out

while the rest were fed, the hen would not hear his pleas for him.

The cock soon came and fed Flaps, and then as he thought it best that his mate should go on with her wise words, he flew off. While he was out, Pecks, whose heart was full of kind grief that Rob was in shame, thus tried to heal his woes:

"Dear Rob, do not grieve, I will give you my meal, if Ma will let me.'

"Oh!" said Rob, "I do not want it; if I may not eat first, I will have none."

"Shall I ask Ma to pass it by this time?" said Pecks.

"I do not want you to ask at all; if you had not been a lot of bad things, I should not have been put here as I am.”

"Come back, Pecks," said the hen, who heard them, "I will not have you talk with so

bad a bird. I tell you, you must not go near him."

The cock then came in, and Pecks was fed. "You may rest now, my dear," said his mate; แ your day's task is at an end.”

Why, what has Rob done?" asks he. "What I grieve to tell you; he has done ill to the rest of the birds."

"Done ill! you don't say so; I could not have thought he would have been such a bad bird."

"Oh this is not all," said the hen, "for he thinks as he is the first born, he should claim half the nest when we are out, and now he sulks, since we blame him, and as we do not feed him first."

"If this be the case," said he, "leave me to put this to rights, my dear, and pray take the air for a time, for you seem to grieve at his bad ways."

"I am sad, I must say, for with all my care, I. did not think I should meet such ills. I grieve to show to you what this bad bird has done; but he will not mind me. I will do as you wish, go out and take the air."

So she went to a tree near at hand, where she would wait to see how all should turn out.

As soon as the hen had flown off, the cock spoke thus to the birds:

"And so, Rob, you want to be chief of the nest. A nice chief you would make, in truth, who do not know how to rule your own heart. I will not stand to talk much to you now, but you may be sure I will not let you use my young ones ill, nor yet your good Ma; and if you go on to try to do so, I will drive you from the nest, and not let learn to fly."

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These words fill Rob with fear, and he now felt the want of food, as well as the cold, so he