\ 



the Cow Black-Bird. 



421 



4 



meaning Mr. Ord does seem to attribute to his words, 

 but which is by no means a fair inference) he is undoubt- 

 edly correct. " The simuhaneous hatching of the eggs," 



m 



(to use Mr. Ord's own words) in every instance where • 

 two covv-troopiars eggs have been found in the same 

 nest, " proves that they had been deposited by different 

 individuals." 



Mr. Ord would not certainly have us suppose he 

 considered the fact as unknown to NuttalL For the 

 latter writes, " I have sometimes remarked two of these 

 eggs in the s?ime nest, but in this case, one of them 

 commonly proves abortive." " If one commonly proves 

 abortive," remarks Mr. Ord, " both sometimes must 



hatch 



Now as Mr. Nuttall does not inform us that he 



ever saw two cow-buntings in the same nest, we are 



I 



compelled to infer that the circumstance of abortion is 

 related at second hand." I wish not to pass a too hasty 

 judgment, but 1 cannot but regard the inference involved 

 in the last sentence, one of the most hastily deduced that 

 ever fell from the pen of a naturalist. It is not otily not 



Mr 



Mr 



preceding. If Mr. Nuttall does not tell us, in as many 

 words, that he ever saw two cow-buntings in the same 

 nest, it certainly is much fairer to infer that fact from 

 what he does say, than the contrary. For he tells us, 

 that in several instances, he has seen tw<5^cow black-bird's 

 eggs in the same nest ; in most of which cases, one of 

 them commonly proved abortive ; and as they did not do 

 so in every instance, Mr. Ord very justly infers that in 

 some of them both must have hatched ; and in the same 

 breath, he jumps at once to the very opposite conclusion, 

 that because Mr. Nuttall dnns not tpll us that he saw the 



