//.!/.//> HE COW BIRD. 



BS1 



parties, generally aooompani-i l.y the red-wing*-*! Marling. whi.-h l.inl will MOB be described. 

 fw <!!- '. ii id .! orwdol ' >.-..>..!. :!: OM BMi '.;. :... th ph r tin ii t. m 

 poiury msi.lenoe, and again assembling in Hocks, together with th- n I -winged starling, take 

 tii.-ir .|.-|.arturv for th-ii- ,,, m ( ;,,,, ii M: , and Georgia. \Vhii,- remaining in the 



country, t IMV are generally seen near streams, | .-r.h.M I ,,n the trees thut -k ,k*. 



Ii N a rath-r ruiioiiH fart that .luring tli.- month* ,.f July aixl AIUJIIM. tl. < Iroopialn hii.l 

 denly \anMi. and are not seen again till Sepu-mUi. h-n they m:,k- th.ir appearance in oon- 

 M.l.-ral>!.- tnimbera. Whether th. .:rn.-y .luritiK' that tinif. ..i u h.-t her retire Into th. 



depths ..f the forest, b n..t . I. arly aacertJiim-.!. 



I'nlik.- th- generality ..f l.irds, the Cow Bird seems to be artuated by no attarhnx -nt t.> 

 those uf the opposite sex. No pairing has yet been observed. n..r .I.N-H tlw male bird take pos- 

 aessitm of a nuiiiU-r ..f females, as is the ease with mans s)M^-ie. In<l.-.l. there would be no 

 need for such an alliance, for the female Cow Bird makes no ni. n.-itli.-r does (the trouble- 





COW 



herself about rearing her young, but searching out for the nest of some little bird, she deposits 

 her own egg among the number, and then leaves it to its fate. The remarkable featnr- in th.- 

 matter is, that the poor bird on whom this intruder has been foisted invariably takes charge 

 of it in preference to its own offspring, and will always rear the young Cow Bird, even though 

 the whole of its own offspring perish. 



There seems to be in the Cow Bird an irresistible :itn-n ti\.- power, forcing other birds to 

 take charge of it and attend to ita wants. This .supposition is strengthened by the conduct of 

 a cardinal grosbeak, kept by Wilson, into whose cage was introduced a young Cow Bird just 

 taken out of the nest of a Maryland yellow throat At first, the grosbeak exarnin-'l th- 

 int ruder with some reserve, but as soon as the stranger began to <-ry f< .r food, the grosbeak took it 

 under its protection, tended it carefully, brought it food, tore Urge insects to pieces in ord. r t. , 

 suit the capacity of the young bird's mouth, cleaned its plumage, taught it to feed itself, and 

 exhibited towards it all a mother's care. Wilson writes as follows, after describing the singular 

 habita of this bird : 



" From twelve to fourteen days is the usual time of incubation with our small birds ; but, 

 although I cannot fix the precise period requixite for the Cow Bunting's eggs, I think I ran 

 almost positively say that it it is a day or two less than the shortest of the above-mentioned 



