COWBIRD. 
495. Molothrus ater. 7°4 inches. 
Male glossy greenish black, with a brown head; fe- 
male and young, dull gray. 
Groups of these birds are often seen w alking sedately 
about among the cows in the pasture, hence their name, 
They are the only birds that we have that neither make 
a nest of their own nor care for their young. ‘The fe- 
male slyly deposits her egg in the nest of a smaller bird 
when the owner is absent, leaving further care of it to 
its new owner. W. arblers, Sparrows and Vireos seem to 
be most imposed upon in this manner. 
Notes.—A low “chack,” and by the male a liquid, wiry 
squeak accompanied by a spreading of the wings and 
tail. 
Range.—U. S., chiefly east of the Rockies, breeding 
from the Gulf to Manitoba and New Brunswick; win- 
ters in southern U. 8S. A sub-species, the Dwarf Cow- 
bird (obscurus), is found in southwestern United States; 
it is slightly smaller. 
