the Cow Black-Bird. 425 



I 



America deduces from this supposed fact, — instead of 

 instituting an odious comparison between Nuttall and Audu- 

 bon, by styling the former the more discerning naturalistj 

 it would have been much more to his credit. Such things 

 are alike unmanly and unbecoming the cause of science. 

 We can overlook a mistake in one who has done so much 

 to the cause of natural history. We cannot so readily 

 excuse the correction of that error when apparently dic- 

 tated by feelings of a personal character. 



In this same paper we also find the following paragraph : 

 ^^ It appears to be the prevailing opinion, that if the cow- 

 bird deposits her egg in a nest wherein the owner has not 

 yet begun to lay, the nest is either deserted forthwith or 

 the egg of the intruder is so buried by the addition of 

 fresh materials, that it becomes abortive. On this head 

 I am not prepared to speak further, than that the opinion 

 wears the appearance of probability." His opinion ap- 

 pears to have been strengthened by the following circum- 

 stance. " On the lltli of June I found the nest of the 

 red-eyed flycatcher containing a cow-bird's egg, arid one 

 of her own. Ks from the smallness of the nest, the cow- 

 bird could not enter its cavity, she was compelled to sit 

 over it ; and her egg in dropping, broke the fly-catcher's. 

 The nest was abandoned." This fact has very little 

 bearing on the point in question, as it is one of the most 

 common occurrences to find nests forsaken, in which one 

 or more of the eggs have been broken. Mr. Ord is, 

 however, mistaken in regarding it as the prevailing opi- 

 nion that such is invariably the case. Audubon implies 

 the possibility of there being instances to the contrary, 

 and Mr. Nuttall plainly tells us, that such 5s the fact. 

 Could not the author of the article in Loudon, draw any 

 inference from the following, which we find in Audubon ? 



VOL. I. PART IV. 55 



