618 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1893. 



they spent so iiuicli of tlieir time near the nest, sliowino- great solicitude 

 wlien I approached it, I strongly hoped to see them breed in it, if the 

 Bay-wings could only be got i id of. The Screaming Cowbirds would 

 not, or dared not, attack them; and, as I always think that the worst 

 possible use one can put a little bird to is to shoot it, I could not help 

 them by destroying the Baywings. I therefore resolved to take their 

 eggs, hoping that that would cause them to leave in disgust. 



When I was satisfied from their movenients that they had finished 

 laying, I got up to the nest and was astonished to find 10 eggs instead 

 of 5 as I had confidently expected; for, though the common Cowbirds 

 Lad paid a great deal of attention to the nest, I knew the Bay-wings 

 would not allow them to lay in it. 



The 10 eggs in the nest were all unmistakably Bay-wings' eggs, and 

 having observed before that several females do occasionally lay together, 

 I concluded that in this case two females had laid in the nest, though 



1 had only seen two birds — male and female. After taking the 10 eggs 

 the Bay-wings still remained, and in a very short time they appeared 

 to be laying again. When I had reason to think that the full comple- 

 ment was laid, I visited the nest and found 5 eggs in it; these I also 

 took and concluded that the second female had probably gone away, 

 after having been deprived of her first clutch. During all this time 

 the Screaming Cowbirds remained in the neighborhood and occasion- 

 ally visited the tree; but to my very great surprise the Bay-wings still 

 stubbornly remained, and by-and-by I found that they were going to 



ay again — the fourth time! When I next visited the nest there were 



2 eggs in it; I left them and returned three days later, expecting to 

 find 5 eggs, but found 7 — certainly more than one female had laid in 

 the nest on this occasion. After taking these last 7 eggs the Bay- wings 

 left, and though the Screaming Cowbirds continued to make occasional 

 visits to the nest, to my great disappointment they did not lay in it. 



April 12. — To-day I have made a discovery, and am as pleased with 

 it as if I had found a new planet in the sky. The mystery of the Bay- 

 wings' nest twice found containing over the usual comjdement of eggs 

 is cleared up, and I have now suddenly become ac(piainted with the 

 procreant instinct of the Screaming Cowbird. I look on this as a great 

 piece of good fortune, for I had thought that the season for making 

 any such discovery was already over, as we are so near to winter. 



The Bay-wings are so social in their habits that they always appear 

 reluctant to break up their companies in the breeding season. Xo sooner 

 is this over, and while the young birds are still fed by the parents, all 

 the families about a plantation unite into one tlock. About a month 

 ago all the birds about my home had associated in this way together 

 and went in a scattered flock, frequenting one favorite feeding spot 

 very much, a nu'adow about fifteen minutes' walk from the house. The 

 flock was composed, I believe, of 3 families. 10 or IS birds in all. 

 The young birds are indistinguishable from the adults, but 1 knew 



