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GENUS MOLOTHRUS— SWAINSON 



COW BIRD. 



[Bill very short, thick, conic, Finch-like, compressed— culmen very slightly 

 arched; wings pointed, the first three quills longest; tail nearly even.] 



MOLOTHRUS PECORIS— GMEL. 



COW-PEN BIRD. 



Cow Bunting, Emberiza pecoris, Wils. Amer. Orn. 

 Icterus pecoris, Bonap. Syn. 



Molothrus pecoris, Cow-pen or Cuckoo Bunt, Sw. & Rich. 

 Cow Troopial or Cow Blackbird, Icterus pecoris, Nutt. Man. 

 Cow-pen Bird, Icterus pecoris, Aud. Orn. Biog. 



Specific Character — The head and neck dull brown ; rest parts 

 black, glossed with green. Female grayish-brown, lighter be- 

 neath. 



To those persons who are accustomed to observing the habits 

 and manners of birds, the extraordinary conduct of the Cow Bunt- 

 ing appears very remarkable. With all other species with which 

 we are familiar, the business of building their nests and rearing 

 their young, seems to us to be the most happy period in their lives- 

 Often have we witnessed how cheerfully these native architects la- 

 bor while preparing a suitable dwelling in which to cradle their 

 offspring, and how carefully it is guarded and boldly defended, 

 from before the bursting of the eggs, until their well-tutored proge- 

 ny have acquired sufficient vigor to mingle with the countless num- 

 bers that embellish creation. Why, then, is it that Nature, in the 

 subject of our remarks, presents an anomaly as singular as it is un- 

 accountable ? 



