188 COW BUNTING. 



" berry tree near my dwelling. One day when the nest was 

 " nearly finished, I discovered a female Cow-bird perched up- 

 " on a fence stake near it, with her eyes apparently fixed upon 

 " the spot while the builder 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 seem- 

 " ing delight, which she expressed by her gestures and notes. 

 " The Blue-bird soon returned and entered the nest, but instan- 

 taneously fluttered back with much apparent hesitation, and 

 " perched upon the highest branch of the tree, uttering a rapid- 

 " ly repeated note of complaint and resentment, which soon 

 " brought the male, who reciprocated her feelings by every de- 

 " monstration of the most vindictive resentment. 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, which he chastised se- 

 "verely, and then turned to an innocent Sparrow that was 

 66 chanting its ditty in a peach tree. Notwithstanding the affront 

 " was so passionately resented, I found the Blue-bird had laid 

 " an egg the next day. Perhaps a tenant less attached to a favour- 

 " ite spot would have acted more fastidiously, by deserting the 

 " premises altogether. In this instance, also, I determined to 

 " watch the occurrences that were to follow, but on one of my 

 " morning visits I found the common enemy of the eggs and 

 " young of all the small birds had despoiled the nest, a Coluber 

 " was found coiled in the hollow, and the eggs sucked. 



16 Agreeably to my observation, all the young birds destined 

 " to cherish the young Cow-bird are of a mild and affectionate 

 " disposition; and it is not less remarkable, that they are all 

 " smaller than the intruder; the Blue-bird is the only one nearly 

 " as large. This is a good natured mild creature, although it 

 " makes a vigorous defence when assaulted. The Yellow-throat, 

 " the Sparrow, the Goldfinch, the Indigo-bird, and the Blue- 

 " bird, are the only birds in whose nests I have found the eggs 



