CO W-BIRDS. 



359 



hand ; and it is no uncommon thing to have the birds fluttering within a few feet 

 of one's head. The animals appear to rather like the birds, and suffer them to 

 perch in a row upon their backbones, doubtless finding the scratching of their 

 feet a comfortable sensation, to say nothing of the riddance from insect parasites." 

 The cow-bird's foster-parents are numerous, notably the summer yellow-bird, 

 the Maryland yellow-throat, and the red-eyed vireo. It is rare to find more than 

 two eggs of this cow-bird in a single nest, although as many as five have been 

 found together. In colour the eggs are white, speckled with brown. The adult 



THE COMMON COW-BIRD (\ nat. size). 



of the common cow-bird is of a lustrous greenish black, with blue and purple 

 reflections ; the head and neck being deep wood-brown, with some purplish lustre. 

 The female is dull coloured, of a nearly uniform greyish brown above, and paler 

 beneath. 



Writing of a South American member of the genus, Mr. W. H. Hudson 

 observes that the male of the "screaming cow-bird of La Plata, when perched, 

 emits a hollow-sounding internal note that swells at the end into a sharp metallic 

 ring, almost bell-like ; this is uttered with wings and tail depressed, the whole 

 plumage being puffed out as in a strutting turkey-cock, while the bird hops 



