CHAPTER XXVI. 



June 18 June 24. 



THE COWBIRD. 



Order Passeres Suborder Oscines 



Family Icteridae Genus Molothrus 



Species Molothrus ater. 



Length 7.75 to 8.25 ; wing, 4.00 to 4.60 ; tail, 2.90 to 3.35. 

 Migration North, March ; south, September. 



The cowbird has many different names. Formerly it was 

 called the buffalo bird because of the fact that it attended 

 the American bison or buffalo. It has been called the brown- 

 headed oriole because of the color of its head and resemblance 

 to the oriole ; lazy bird because it will not build a nest and 

 care for its young; and cow bunting, cow blackbird and 

 cow pen bird because of the fact that it attends our cattle 

 and often is found in our barn yards with them. I have seen 

 cowbirds on the backs of cattle, apparently catching the flies 

 that so much annoy them, and one of the most beautiful pas- 

 toral scenes that I have witnessed was that of a large herd of 

 cattle on a hillside meadow field attended by a large flock of 

 these birds. The birds kept just in advance of the cattle and 

 seemed to be feeding on the insects which were disturbed by 

 their grazing. 



The bill of the adult male cowbird is dark brown, sharp 

 pointed and well adapted to the taking of insects, and the base 

 of it is heavy like that of the sparrow family and well fitted to 

 the cracking of the seeds which constitute a large portion of 



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