A Feathered Parasite 73 



fication, as all respectable feathered folk should. How- 

 ever, this parasitical habit breaks out, quite unexpectedly, 

 it must be conceded, in another American family of birds 

 entirely distinct from the cuckoo group. 



In America the cowbird, often called the cow bunting, 

 is the only member of the avian household that spirits 

 its eggs into the nests of other birds. The theory of 

 evolution can do little toward accounting for the anom- 

 aly, and even if it should venture upon some suggestions 

 it would still be just as difficult to explain the cause of 

 the evolution in this special group, while all other avian 

 groups follow the law of thrift and self-reliance. 



The cowbird belongs to the family of birds scientific- 

 ally known as I derides, which includes such familiar 

 species as the bobolinks, orioles, meadowlarks, and the 

 various kinds of blackbirds, none of which, I am glad to 

 say, are parasites. The name Molothrus has been given 

 to the genus that includes the cowbirds. They are con- 

 fined to the American continent, having no analogues 

 in the lands across the seas. The same may be said, 

 indeed, of the whole Icteridce family. It may be a matter 

 of surprise to many persons that there are twelve species 

 and subspecies of cowbirds in North and South America, 

 for most of us are familiar only with the common cow- 

 bird (Molothrus ater) of our temperate regions. Of these 

 twelve species only three are to be found within the 

 limits of the United States, one is a resident of western 

 Mexico and certain parts of Central America, while the 

 rest find habitat exclusively in South America. A fresh 



