THE COW-BIRD 



"Well, if Cow-birds are not birds of prey, I'd like to know 

 what you'd call them," said Bob. "Have you figured it?" 



"I do not know how many there are in the Stanley flock," 

 I answered; "but the other day I counted over two hundred at 

 Shimp's. It's fair to presume that half of them are females. 

 Now here is one female that we know in one season has killed 

 three Masked Warblers, two Vireos and one Blue Finch. If 

 each female of her flock has equalled her record that makes six 

 hundred of our most harmless, inoffensive, dainty, beautiful 

 little songsters wiped out while if all Cow-birds average four eggs 

 apiece there are four hundred of them instead. And Cow-birds 

 are ugly, their rasping 'Cluck-see-ee!' is not song; instead of 

 hunting for insects that need to be exterminated they sit on 

 the back of a cow eating flies from a scratch ; why sling-shots and 

 the millinery trade are innocent compared with them! They 

 should be exterminated!" 



Since that summer not a Cow-bird flutters over Stanley's 

 sleek herd. There are none at Aspy's adjoining, nor down the 

 river far below Shimp's, so Bob's birds raise no foster nestlings. 



PAIR OF YOUNG COW-BIRDS 



275 



