66 Observations on the Cow Bunting 



This, to me, was a period of great anxiety. I literally 

 lived in the woods, in order to guard a treasure, which an 

 ornithologist alone would know how to appreciate. Every 

 thing went on as smoothly as could be desired; the nestlings 

 improved under the care of the parents ; the wants of all 

 were alike attended to ; and it appeared that the poor little 

 cow bunting, instead of being viewed as a parasite, or an in- 

 truder possessed as great a share of the affection of the 

 foster-parents, as that which was bestowed upon their own 

 offspring. On the 18th of June, the cow bunting left the 

 nest ; and, as the underwood was very thick, it so effectually 

 concealed itself, that I never afterwards saw it. The webs of 

 its quill-feathers were about an inch in length ; but it must 

 be observed, that almost all birds of the bunting and sparrow 

 kinds leave the nest some days before they are able to fly. 

 Our young song sparrows will seldom remain in the nest 

 longer than ten days ; and I have known them to depart when 

 only eight days old. The young of the Towhe bunting com- 

 monly quit the nest in nine days. 



In the morning of the 20th of June, one of the young 

 wood thrushes jumped from the nest, as I cautiously advanced 

 to view it. I could not prevail with it to remain, although I 

 replaced it several times ; and on the 23d the last departed. 

 None of these birds could fly. 



On the same day that the forementioned discovery was 

 made, I found another nest of the wood thrush. It was built 

 on a horizontal branch of a small white oak ; and contained 

 three of the thrush's eggs, and an egg of the cow bunting. 

 The nest of the wood thrush is large and substantial ; its 

 concavity is wide and commodious. On the morning of the 

 17th of June, at an early hour, I observed that the cow bunt- 

 ing's egg was hatched, and one of the thrush's. The next 

 morning another egg was hatched ; and in the afternoon of 

 the same day the third thrush came forth. Here we have a 

 brood, composed of a cow bird and three thrushes, all so 

 closely resembling each other, that the most experienced ob- 

 server would, probably, not have been enabled to point out 

 the difference. As in the former instance, the nest was daily 

 watched by myself; and I could not perceive that the parent 

 thrushes had the least idea that they were nourishing the off- 

 spring of a bird different in its nature from themselves. 



On the 26th of June, nine days after its birth, the cow 

 bunting quitted the nest. Of the wood thrushes, one de- 

 parted on the 30th, and the other two the following day. 



On the 16th of June, I discovered an indigo bird's nest. 

 It was constructed in a thick mass of chestnut suckers ; and 



