202 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



They appear to be ashamed of their conduct and are always skulking 

 about the underbrush as if fearing to meet anyone. They display a 

 great deal of cunning in watching their opportunity when the owner of 

 a nest is away when they will sneak up and deposit a surreptitious q.zz 

 and hastily retire. It does not seem possible that they can do this 

 without the knowledge of the owner of the nest that they employ, and 

 still more improbable does it seem that many of the birds in whose 

 homes we find these superfluous eggs would knowingly submit to their 

 being placed there. I have found these eggs in the nest of the. King- 

 bird, a feathered pugilist, who will allow no other bird in the vicinity 



RED-EYED VIREOS NEST WITH COWBIRD'S EGG. 



of his own home. It is to be noted that in nearly every instance the 

 Cowbird will choose the nest of a bird smaller than itself on which to 

 thrust its offspring. There are two reasons given for this choice. It 

 may be because they fear the wrath of a larger bird in case they are 

 discovered, or it may be in order that their young will have a better 

 chance of thriving. It is true that their young do always thrive much 

 to the detriment of the legitimate ones. They being larger and strong- 

 er get a great deal more than their share of the food that is served. 

 Warblers, Sparrows, and Vireos suffer to the greatest extent^from 

 theiru visits, and many young of these species are undoubtedly killed 

 yearly because of the Cowbird. 



