84 BIRDS OF LA PLATA 
himself on the ground, he immediately made off, half 
flying. After a hard chase I succeeded in re-capturing 
him, and began to twirl him about, making him 
scream, so as to inform his foster-parents of his 
situation, for they were not by at the moment. I 
then put him back in, or rather upon, the little cradle 
of a nest, and plucked half a dozen large measure- 
worms from an adjacent twig. The caterpillars were 
handed to the bird as I drew them from the cases, 
and with great greediness he devoured them all, 
notwithstanding the ill-treatment he had just re- 
ceived, and utterly disregarding the wild excited 
cries of his foster-parents, just arrived and hovering 
within three or four feet of the nest. 
Last summer I noticed a young Cow-bird in a 
stubble-field, perched on the top of a slender dry 
stalk; as it was clamouring at short intervals, I 
waited to see what bird would come to it. It proved 
to be the diminutive Flycatcher, Hapalocercus flavi- 
ventris; and I was much amused to see the little 
thing fly directly to its large foster-offspring and, 
alighting on its back, drop a worm into the upturned 
open mouth. After remaining a moment on its 
singular perch, the Flycatcher flew away, but in less 
than half a minute returned and perched again on 
the young bird’s back. I continued watching them 
until the Molothrus flew off, but not before I had 
seen him fed seven or eight times in the same manner. 
In the two foregoing anecdotes may be seen the 
peculiar habits of the young Molothrus. As the nests 
in which it is hatched, from those of the little Serpo- 
