COW- BUNTING. 



161 



nest of a yellow-tnroat" (Tr'n-has jwrwiuitus}, " with 

 an egg of each. * * * In the progress 

 of the cow-bird along the creek's side, she entered 

 the thick boughs of a small cedar, and returned several 

 times before she could prevail on herself to quit the 

 place ; and upon examination, I found a" species of 

 "sparrow sitting on its nest, into which she no doubt 

 would have stolen in the absence of its owner." We 

 may have occasion to refer to these observations when 

 we give the natural history of the European cuckoo. 



"'The deportment of the yellow-throat on this 

 occasion is not to be omitted. She returned while I 

 waited near the spot, and darted into her nest, but 

 returned immediately and perched upon a bough 

 near the place, remained a minute or two and entered 

 it, again, returned and disappeared. In ten minutes 

 she returned with the male. They chattered with 

 great agitation for half an hour, seeming to participate 

 in (he affront, and then left the place. I believe all 

 the birds thus intruded upon, manifest more or less 

 concern at finding the egg of a stranger in their own 

 nests. Among these, the sparrow* is particularly 

 punctilious, for she sometimes chirps her complaints 

 for a day or two, and often deserts the premises alto- 

 gether, even after she has deposited one or more 

 egg.<." Many small birds will indeed eject an alien 

 egg from (lie nest. " The following anecdote will show, 

 not onlv that the cowpen finch insinuates herself 

 slily into ihe nests of other birds, but that even the 

 most pacific of them will resent the insult. A blue- 

 robin had built for three successive seasons in the 

 cavity of a mulberry tree near my dwelling. One 

 day, when the nest was nearly finished, I discovered 

 a female cow-bird perched upon a fence stake near it, 

 with her eyes apparently fixed upon the spot, while 

 the bulkier was busy in adjusting her nest. The 

 moment she left it, the intruder darted into it, and in 

 five minutes returned and sailed off to her companions 

 with seeming delight, which she expressed by her 

 gestures and notes. The blue-bird soon returned 

 and entered the nest, but instantaneously fluttered 

 back with much apparent hesitation, and perched 

 upon the highest branch of the tree, uttering a rapidly 

 repeated note of complaint and resentment, which 

 soon brought the male, who reciprocated her feelings 

 by every demonstration of the most vindictive resent- 

 ment. They entered the nest together, and returned 

 several times uttering their uninterrupted complaints 

 for ten or fifteen minutes. The male then darted away 

 to the neighbouring trees, as if in quest of the offender, 

 and fell upon a cat-bird," (Orpheus felivox,) " which he 

 chastised severely, and then turned to an innocent 

 sparrow that was chanting its ditty in a peach tree. 

 Notwithstanding the insult was so passionately re- 

 sented, I found the blue-bird had laid an egg the next 

 day. Perhaps a tenant less attached to a favourite 

 spot would have acted more fastidiously, by deserting 

 the premises altogether." We know, indeed, from 

 direct experiments, that when the egg of a stranger is 

 placed into a nest before any of the owner's eggs had 

 been deposited, the nest is most usually forsaken. 



Some interesting observations follow, upon the 

 nature and disposition of the various birds into whose 

 nests the cow-bird's egg is commonly deposited, with 

 some remarks on the curious fact, that the eggs of the 

 owner of the nest are never hatched, as those always 

 are which accompany the cuckoo's egg. We need 



* A very different bird from the sparrow of northern Europe. 



NAT. HIST. VOL. II. 



not here transcribe all the detail of facts that is given, 

 but will come at once to the writer's conclusion. 

 " How do the eggs get out of the nest ? Is it by the 

 size and nestling of the young cow-bird ? This can- 

 not always be the case ; because, in the instance of the 

 blue-bird's nest in the hollow stump, the cavity was 

 a foot deep, the nest at the bottom, and the ascent 

 perpendicular ; nevertheless the eggs were removed, 

 although rilled with young ones ; moreover a young 

 cowpen finch is as helpless as any other young bird, 

 and, so far from having the power of ejecting others 

 from the nest, or even the eggs, that they are some- 

 times found on the ground under the nest, especially 

 where the nest happens to be very small. 1 will 

 not assert that the eggs of the builder of (he nest 

 are never hatched ; but I can assert, that I have 

 never been able to find one instance to prove the 

 affirmative. If all the eggs of both birds were to 

 be hatched, in some cases the nest would not hold 

 haJf of them ; for instance, those of the sparrow, or 

 yellow-bird. I will not assert that the supposititious 

 egg is brought to perfection in less time than those of 

 the bird to which the nest belongs , but, from the 

 facts stated, 1 am inclined to adopt such an opinion. 

 How are the eggs removed after the accouchement of 

 the spurious occupant? By the proprietor of the 

 nest unquestionably ; for this is consistent with the 

 rest of her economy. After the power of hatching 

 then is taken away by her attention to the young 

 stranger, the eggs would be only an incumbrance, 

 and therefore instinct prompts her to remove them. 

 I might add, that I have sometimes found the egg of 

 the sparrow, in which were miniatured young ones, 

 lying near the nest containing a cow-bird, and there- 

 fore I cannot resist this, conclusion. Would the 

 foster parent feed two species of young at the same 

 time ? I believe not. I have never seen an instance 

 of any bird feeding the young of another, unless im- 

 mediately after losing her own. I should think the 

 sooty looking stranger would scarcely interest a 

 mother, while the cries of her own offspring, always 

 intelligible, were to be heard. Should such a com- 

 petition ever take place, I judge the stranger would 

 be the sufferer, and probably the species soon become 

 extinct. Why the lex natitra; ((jnxcrcalrijc should 

 decide in favour of the surreptitious progeny is not 

 for me to determine." 



It will be seen upon a reference to our article 

 CUCKOO, that the ingenious writer was wrong in 

 some of these suppositions. We need not, however, 

 here forestall our account of the various facts which 

 we have to give concerning that interesting bird ; but 

 proceed now to copy Wilson's description of a cow- 

 bunting,which he reared in confinement, and must then 

 conclude our long account of this very singular species. 

 " In the month of July, I took from the nest of the 

 Maryland yellow-throat, which was built among the 

 dry leaves at the root of a brier bush, a young male 

 cow-bunting, which filled and occupied the w hole nest. 

 J had previously watched the motions of the foster 

 parents for more than an hour, in order to ascertain 

 whether any more of their young were lurking about, 

 or not ; and was fully satisfied that there were none. 

 Thev had, in all probability, perished in the manner 

 before mentioned. I took this bird home with me, 

 and placed it in the same cage with a Red-bird," (or 

 Cardinal grosbeak, Guanca cardinatis,) " who, at first, 

 and for several minutes after, examined it closely, and 

 seemingly with great curiosity. It soon became cla- 



