82 BIRDS OF LA PLATA 
ground, densely and unions spotted or blotched 
with red. Another not uncommon variety has a very 
pale, flesh-coloured ground, uniformly marked with 
fine characters, that look as if inscribed on the shell 
with a pen. A much rarer variety has a pure white 
shell with a few large or variously sized brown and 
chocolate spots. Perhaps the rarest variety is an egg 
entirely of a fine deep red; but between this lovely 
marbled egg and the white one with almost imper- 
ceptible specks, there are varieties without number ; 
for there is no such thing as characteristic markings 
in the eggs of this species, although, as I have said 
before, the eggs of the same individual show a family 
resemblance. 
HABITS OF THE YouNG MM. bonariensis 
Small birds of all species, when first hatched, 
closely resemble each other; after they are fledged 
the resemblance is less, but still comparatively great ; 
grey, interspersed with brown, is the colour of most 
of them, or at least of the upper exposed plumage. 
There is also a great similarity in their cries of 
hunger and fear—shrill, querulous, prolonged, and 
usually tremulous notes. It is not then to be wondered 
at that the foster-parents of the young Molothrus 
so readily respond to its cries, understanding the 
various expressions denoting hunger, fear, pain, as 
well as when uttered by their own offspring. But 
the young Molothrus never understands the language _ 
of its foster-parents as other young birds understand 
