62 TALKS ABOUT BIRDS 



have another cow-bird's egg dropped in the 

 nest, they will build over it yet again. As 

 this cow-bird lays only one egg in each nest 

 it visits, it thoroughly understands its un- 

 principled business, but there is a cow-bird in 

 South America which goes about its affairs in 

 a very slovenly and careless way, as has been 

 described by Mr. Hudson, in his charming 

 book on the birds of Argentina. 



The glossy cow-bird, as this bird is called, 

 the cock being of a splendid silky purple- 

 black, goes about in flocks ; the hens often 

 drop their eggs on the ground and do not 

 bother about them at all ; several of them 

 will lay in one nest of another bird, and they 

 are very fond of breaking any eggs they may 

 find there, not only the eggs of the real 

 owner of the nest, but those of their own kind 

 as well. Yet a great many of their young 

 must be reared, for this is a very common 

 bird, and many are sent over here and are 

 often kept in aviaries ; some fanciers have 

 even had them lay eggs in other birds' nests 

 there. 



Then there is a brown cow-bird in Argentina 

 which builds its own nest when it cannot 



