cow BUNTING. 79 



premises altogether, even after she has deposited one or more eggs. The 

 following anecdote will show not only that the Cowpen finch insinuates 

 herself slily into the nests of other birds, but that even the most pacific 

 of them will resent the insult. A Blue-bird had built for three succes- 

 sive seasons in the cavity of a mulberry tree near my dwelling. One 

 day when the nest was nearly finished, I discovered a female Cow-bird 

 perched upon a fence stake near it, with her eyes apparently fixed upon 

 the spot while the builder was busy in adjusting her nest. The moment 

 she left it the intruder darted into it, and in five minutes returned and 

 sailed off to her companions with seeming delight, which she expressed 

 by her gestures and notes. The Blue-bird soon returned and entered 

 the nest, but instantaneously fluttered back with much apparent hesita- 

 tion, and perched upon the highest branch of the tree, uttering a rapidly 

 repeated note of complaint and resentment, which soon brought the 

 male, who reciprocated her feelings by every demonstration of the most 

 vindictive resentment. They entered the nest together and returned 

 several times, uttering their uninterrupted complaints for ten or fifteen 

 minutes. The male then darted away to the neighboring trees as if in 

 quest of the offender, and fell upon a Cat-bird, which he chastised 

 severely, and then turned to an innocent Sparrow that was chanting its 

 ditty in a peach tree. Notwithstanding the affront was so passionately 

 resented, I found the Blue-bird had laid an egg the next day. Perhaps 

 a tenant less attached to a favorite spot would have acted more fastidi- 

 ously, by deserting the premises altogether. In this instance, also, I 

 determined to watch the occurrences that were to follow, but on one 

 of my morning visits I found the common enemy of the eggs and young 

 of all the small birds had despoiled the nest, a Coluber was found coiled 

 in the hollow, and the eggs sucked. 



" Agreeably to my observation, all the young birds destined to cherish 

 the young Cow-bird are of a mild and affectionate disposition ; and it 

 is not less remarkable, that they are all smaller than the intruder ; the 

 Blue-bird is the only one nearly as large. This is a good-natured mild 

 creature, althoucrh it makes a viejorous defence when assaulted. The 

 Yellow-throat, the Sparrow, the Goldfinch, the Indigo-bird, and the Blue- 

 bird, are the only birds in whose nests I have found the eggs or the 

 young of the Cowpen finch, though doubtless there are some others. 



" What becomes of the eggs or young of the proprietor ? This is 

 the most interesting question that appertains to this subject. There 

 must be some special law of nature which determines that the young 

 of the proprietors are never to be found tenants in common with the 

 young Cow-bird. I shall offer the result of my own experience on this 

 point, and leave it to you and others better versed in the mysteries of 

 nature than I am to draw your own -conclusions. Whatever theory may 

 be adopted the facts must remain the same. Having discovered a 



