K'TEKID.K — THK OlIIOLKS. 



1 •'>•> 



of cliaiTif'ters for two rncos. The extremes of si/n in tliis spcL-ics arc as 

 follows: — 



Lon/csf. (11/J71. ^, Kc.rt Hriilirrr) Win--, l.<!(»: tail.;*).:;.",; ciilnit'ti. .71' : tarsus, l.o;',. 



.S/m<//e.s7. (17.1i!>7, (T. Mii:i Kloivs, L. (\) •• ;j.S(»; • li.U.'i; 



AM) 



.81. 



ITAniTs. The coiimion Cow lUackMni has a vcrv t'Xti'iuUul (li>liiltutioii 

 from the Atlantic to California, and I'roni Texas to Canaihu and ]>rol)al>ly to 

 regions still farther north. Thi'V have not i>ecn traced to tlie I'acilic coast, 

 thouLih ahnndant on that (tf llie Atlantic. 1 )r. Coo]»cr thinks that a tew 

 winter in the Colorado \'allev, and ])rohaltly also in tht' Siin .Ioa<iuin \'alley. 



This species is at all times grci^arioii^ ;tnd ]»olyL:amous, never matini:, and 

 never exhihitim;- anv si'^ns of either conin<'al or i)arental alfections. lake 

 the Cuckoos of Knro])e, our Cow ]>lackl»iid never constructs a nest of her 

 own, and nevi'r hatches tait or attem]>ts to rt'ar her own ollsprinu", hut im- 

 poses her e,ugs ui)on other birds : and most of these, either unconscious of the 

 imposition or unable to rid themselves of the alien, sit uj)on and hatch the 

 stranger, and in so doing virtually destroy their own olfs]»ring, — for tiie 

 eggs of the Cowbird are the first hatched, usually two days liefort^ the others. 

 The nursling is nmch larger in size, filling up a large })orlion of tlie nest, 

 and is insatiable in its appetite, always clamoring to be i\'d, and receiving 

 by far the larger share of the food bnuiglit to tlie nest ; its foster-companions, 

 either starved or stifled, soon die, and their dead bodies are removed, it is 

 su})}H)sed, by their ])arents. They are never found near the nest, as they 

 would be if the young Cow lUackbird expelled them as does the Cuckoo : 

 indeetl, Mr. Nuttall has seen i)arent birds removing the dead young to a 

 distance from the nest, and there dro})ping them. 



For the UKtst i)art the (*owbird dejtosits her egg in the nest of a bird much 

 smaller than herself, but this is not always the case. 1 have known of their 

 eLjiiS having been found in the nests of 7'/'/v//'x hn'sfe/im/.s and T. fitsrcsccnx, 

 ^firrnd/(( tmnjnn and S. ii»(//rrfK. In each instance they had been incubated. 

 How the voung Cowbird ucnerallv fares when hatched in the nests of birds 

 of equal or larger size, and the fate of the foster-nurslings, is an interesting 

 subje<'t for investigation. ^Ir. J. A. Allen saw, in Western Iowa, a female 

 JI((rjH)i'/ii/iicJniii riff us feeding a nearly full grown Cowbird, — a very intei- 

 esting fact, aiul the only evidence we now have that these Itinls are reared 

 by birds of superior size. 



It lavs also in the nests of the common Catbird, but the eng never remains 

 there long after the owner of the nest becomes aware of the intrusion. The 

 list of the birds in whose nests the Cow lUackbird dcjtosits her egg and it is 

 reared is very large. The most common nvases of these foundlings in New 

 England are Sinxclla socio/ is, Kiiijiidonn.r rnittinms, Giothlfipis friiJmx, and all 

 our eastern I'iints, namely, o/iiUfccus, so/ if(fri !'.•>, mivchonm iisi>i^ t/i/rt's, and 

 jlai'ifnms. liesides these, 1 have found their eggs in the ne>ts of l\t/ioi>ti/a 

 va')'t(/i((, Mnioti/ta caria, If( /hn'ii(Ii(>jih(';/(( n'jic(>ju7/(f, D( iit/roint rirois, J). 



