SCREAMING COW-BIRD 101 



and resumed possession. Four days later the Bay- 

 wings also came back ; but on finding the nest still 

 occupied they took possession of an unfinished oven 

 of an Oven-bird on another tree within twenty yards 

 of the first, and immediately began carrying in 

 materials with which to line it. When they had fin- 

 ished laying I took their five eggs, at the same time 

 throwing down the oven, and waited to see what their 

 next move would be. They remained on the spot, 

 singing incessantly, and still manifesting anxiety 

 when approached. I observed them four days, and 

 then was absent from home as many more ; on 

 returning I found that the Lenateros had once more 

 disappeared, and that the nest was now held by the 

 Bay-wings* I also noticed that they had opened an 

 entrance very low down at the side of the nest which 

 they were using ; no doubt they had killed and 

 thrown out the young birds. 



It was now early in November, the height of the 

 breeding-season, and numbers of Common Cow- 

 birds constantly visited the nest ; but I was parti- 

 cularly interested in a pair of Screaming Cow-birds 

 that had also begun to grow fond of it, and I resolved 

 to watch them closely. As they spent so much of 

 their time near the nest, showing great solicitude 

 when I approached it, I strongly hoped to see 

 them breed in it, if the Bay-wings could only 

 be got rid of. The Screaming Cow-birds would 

 not, or dare not, attack them. I therefore re- 

 solved to take the Bay-wings' eggs, hoping that 

 that would cause them to leave in disgust. 



