daily with fresh water for drinking and bathing purposes, will 

 hold the Warblers to your grounds and attract many other 

 birds as well. 



The remarkable intelligence of the Yellow Warbler is 

 shown in the plan by which it often avoids the task of hatching 

 the eggs laid in its nest by the heartless Cowbird. Being too 

 small to remove the unwelcome egg, it frequently bridges its 

 nest and builds a second story above and upon the first, thus 

 leaving the strange egg unhatched. An invasion of the second 

 nest by the Cowbird sometimes follows, when the addition of 

 a third story may result. If, however, the Warbler has laid 

 some of its own eggs before the Cowbird comes to its nest, it 

 may decide, after an excited discussion of the matter with its 

 mate, to hatch all the eggs together rather than desert its own. 

 Few of the other small birds have either the wisdom or deter- 

 mination of the Yellow Warbler, and hence they accept the 

 burden of raising Cowbirds without realizing the fraud prac- 

 ticed upon them. 



BIRD NOTES 



137 



