"I feel sorry for Horton," said Lou. "That lazy bird made him do all the work to hatch the egg, and then she tried to take back the baby after he did that. That's not fair!"
"There are a lot of things that aren't fair, Lou," said Dad as he closed the book and put it on the shelf.
"I just think that all birds should make nests and raise their own babies," said Lou.
"Did you know that some birds lay their eggs in the nests of other birds?" asked Dad.
"How do they get their babies out again?" asked Lou, her forehead furrowed with thought.
"They don't," said Dad. "The other birds raise them."
"What kinds of birds do that?" asked Lou. "They must be really lazy birds."
"They are cowbirds," said Dad. "I don't think they are lazy. It's just the way they are. We have two kinds of cowbirds in North America."
"Do they both put their eggs in the nests of other birds?" asked Lou.