THE INSTINCT OF THE COWBIRD 



over a stone wall that enclosed the cow-pas- 

 ture. As usual, it was the first nest of the 

 Maryland yellowthroats. The young birds, 

 three besides the cowbird, were crowded out 

 of the nest, but as luck would have it they 

 fell into a cavity on one side of the nest, and 

 'were fed by the parents. I saw the mother 

 cowbird feed her baby before he was out of the 

 nest, and when he could hop about, his mother 

 led him to the cow-pasture. Afterward I 

 saw her carry flies from the cows to her baby, 

 which was in the bushes near the wall. I think 

 the Maryland yellowthroats covered their own 

 little ones from the night air. Perhaps one of 

 them protected the cowbird. I did not see the 

 foster-parents feed the young cowbird after 

 he was able to leave the nest. I watched one 

 morning for two hours, and saw the birds make 

 many trips with insects, which they fed to 

 their own birds. The cowbird was near at 

 hand, over the wall, but the birds did not 

 go near him. 



From my observations I am convinced that 

 the cowbird does not desert its offspring, but; 

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