i 



434 Brewer'^ s Remarks on the Cow Black-Bird. 



ject of the removal of eggs by birds, from one place to 

 another ; and the result of my inquiries has satisfied me, 

 that the thing is not only not impossible, but that it is 

 practised much more frequently, by several species of 

 birds, than is generally imagined. I have been recently 

 informed by the author of "Birds of America," that he 

 has himself seen the chuck-will's-widow remove her eggs 

 to another place on perceiving that they had been handled. 

 With regard to the cow-troopial, in the case of the golden- 

 . crowned thrush, this same accurate observer of nature 

 informs me that the cow black-bird is in the custom of 

 rolling her egg along on the ground, and of thrusting it 

 into the opening of the nest of the thrush wdth her head. 

 This, however, could not have been practised in the nest 

 of which I have already spoken in the possession of Mr. 

 Rotch, and in which an egg of the cow black-bird was 

 actually found, a fact of which I was not aw^are when I 

 gave a description of this nest. It was impossible that 

 this method could have been put in practice in -this case, 

 as the nest was not buih as it generally is, upon the ground, 

 but on a bush slightly elevated above the ground. In all 

 other respects it was exactly similar, the entrance being 

 on the side and not on the top. It must therefore have 

 been thrust into the nest by means either of the bill or of 

 the claws of the bird* . From the inconvenient shape of 

 the former, it would seem most probable that the latter 

 was the means employed. I am inclined to think that 

 the removal, not only of the eggs, but even of the nests, 

 IS alsonotof unfiequent occurrence. It has been related, 

 with every appearance of truth, to have been witnessed 

 m France, in the European nightingale. I am nearly 

 certain that I have met with another instance in our 

 common house-wren. The only reason I have for hesi- 





