THE OOLOGIST 



25 



THE COWBIRD. 



By H. H. Johnson, Pittsfield, Me. 



Those who succeed in taming the 

 wild bird, experience a certain amount 

 of pleasure in the confidence it shows 

 in coming to be fed. One can but feel 

 even greater pleasure in the same 

 amount of tameness and confidence 

 shown by a wild, free bird, who coming 

 when food is plenty, is not hui.ger 

 tamed. 



I have always tried to encourage the 

 birds to use my farm as a summer 

 home, especially to nest around the 

 house. Since the year 1921 is typical 

 of other years, I will enumerate those 

 who nested in the immediate vicinity. 

 The Phoebe nested above the door of 

 the ell, a pair of Tree Swallows in a 

 nest box situated about six feet from 

 the home of the Phoebe. A Bluebird 

 occupied a hole made by a mortise in 

 one of the supporting posts of the 

 shed, this nest being about six feet 

 from the ground. The Barn Swallows, 

 as usual, had many nests in the barn. 

 A Robin built a nest and reared a 

 brood inside my workshop, the House 

 Sparrow made use of one of the boxes 

 placed on the house for the Swallows. 

 Chimney Swifts had nests in two of 

 the three chimneys. Besides these 

 already named there were nests of 

 the Flicker, Kingbird, and Chipping 

 Sparrow in the apple trees around 

 about the house. Nests of the Song 

 and Savanna Sparrows, Grass Finch 

 and the Bobolink, a second pair of 

 Tree Swallows and Bluebirds, all situ- 

 ated within a eight-rod circle of the 

 buildings. 



There were other nests, such as the 

 Yellow Warbler, Red-wing Blackbird 

 and Kingbirds on the banks of the 

 river some fifty rods distant.. 



When I was about one-half way 

 through with my haying this summer 

 (1921), there appeared on the field a 



female Cowbird. At first I thought it 

 to be harmed in some way and unable 

 to fly and thus keep out of the way, 

 but upon trying to catch the bird I 

 found it was not. 



Although she would not allow one 

 to catch her, the bird would at once 

 return to where I was at work load- 

 ing hay when pursuit was stopped. It 

 was my thought that at the end of the 

 day the Cowbird would depart and I 

 would see it no more, but no, the 

 next day there she was bright and 

 early, ready to do her part in the 

 haying operations, and for many days 

 there after, or until the haying was 

 finished she was my companion in the 

 field. Both in the forenoon and after- 

 noon, taking part in the various oper- 

 ations of cutting, curing and hauling 

 in of the crop. She became such a 

 constant attendant that we named her 

 "The Boss." She usually appeared in 

 the morning when I made ready to go 

 to the field and would follow as I 

 proceeded to the place of operations 

 for that day. In changing from one 

 field to another, as I often did in my 

 haying, I would sometimes commence 

 work in the morning one-half mile 

 distant from where I ceased the pre- 

 vious afternoon, but regardless of the 

 place the Cowbird would appear at 

 the new field, showing that she must 

 have been watching for me. 



The Cowbird would follow me as 1 

 made the rounds of the field, allowing 

 me to get but a short distance ahead, 

 then flying to catch up; often she 

 would alight just ahead of the cutter- 

 bar, obliging me to keep constant 

 watch lest she be cut by the machine; 

 then I would have to bring the team 

 to a quick halt and drive her out of 

 the standing grass. Sometimes in- 

 stead of alighting on the ground she 

 would perch on the back of one of 

 the team and take a short ride. 



