Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 13:4

"and as he sowed, some [seeds] fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured them:" — Matthew 13:4 (ASV)

The wayside — that is, along the edges of the broad path that crossed the field. Here the surface was hard and smooth, the grain lay on the surface, and the pigeons and other birds that followed the sower reaped an immediate harvest.