of the United States of America. 69 



seemed to increase with their strength ; for, by the 30th, the 

 industry of the foster-parents hardly sufficed to satisfy their 

 wants. It was now evident that the concavity of the nest was 

 not sufficiently capacious to admit of their remaining at ease ; 

 for one was continually lying over the other; and, in their 

 exertions to nestle side by side, the nest became considerably 

 elongated. Early the next day, the 1st of July, they both 

 departed. They were ten days old. 



I sought for these cow buntings in vain until the afternoon 

 .of the next day; when I discovered them perched upon the 

 limbs of a small white oak, situated within a few feet of their 

 nest. They were accompanied with both of the foster-parents, 

 the female of which was in the act of feeding one of them, 

 whilst the other stood by, importuning for food, and quivering 

 its wings. It was impossible for me to determine that these 

 were the same birds that I had seen in the nest; but it must 

 be admitted that the opinion of their identity is a probable 

 one. And yet, when I took into view their size, for they were 

 considerably larger than their foster-parents ; the length of 

 their tail, which was an inch or more; and the ease with which 

 they fluttered from limb to limb ; I was almost disposed to 

 think that they were different birds. One fact is certain, that I 

 saw no other indigo birds in the vicinity ; and the pair above 

 mentioned, with their clamorous wards, frequented the place 

 for two or three days. 



On the 15th of June, I found, in the interior of my forest, 

 the nest of the red-eyed flycatcher. It was suspended at the 

 divarication of a branch of a hickory shrub ; and contained 

 two young, about two days old, and an addle egg. As soon 

 as the pin-feathers of these birds made their appearance, I 

 ascertained that they were cow buntings ; consequently I 

 watched them, from day to day, with increased interest. On 

 the morning of the 21st, I observed that they entirely filled 

 the cavity of the nest. Their plumage was pretty well deve- 

 loped, their quills being 1 in. in length. In the afternoon of 

 this day, a cat, prowling about the woods, espied the nest ; 

 and I was apprised of the fate of the poor buntings, by be- 

 holding their loosened tenement, and their feathers scattered 

 on a neighbouring stump. As it is probable the flycatcher 

 had laid more than one egg in this nest, when it was discovered 

 by the cow buntings, it may be presumed that they were 

 broken, as in the instance before mentioned. 



On the 10th of July, I found another indigo bird's nest. It 

 was placed in the top of a black oak shrub, ?> ft. high. It 

 contained three eggs, of a bluish white, marked at the great 

 end with pale ferruginous spots ; and an egg of the cow bunt- 

 ing. On the morning of the 21st, my visit to the nest had 



