t 
194 COW BUNTING. 
tumes before she could prevail on herself to quit the place; and, upon 
examination, I found a Sparrow sitting on its nest, on which she, no 
doubt, would have stolen in the absence of the owner. It is, I believe, 
certain that the Cow-Pen Finch never makes a forcible entry upon 
the premises by attacking other birds, and ejecting them from their 
rightful tenements, although they are all, perhaps, inferior in strength, 
except the Blue-Bird, which, although of a mild as well as affectionate 
disposition, makes a vigorous resistance when assaulted. Like most 
other tyrants and thieves, they are cowardly, and accomplish by stealth 
what they cannot obtain by force. 
“The deportment of the Yellow-Throat, on this occasion, is not to 
be omitted. She returned while I waited near the spot, and darted 
into her nest, but returned immediately, and perched upon a bough 
near the place ; remained a minute or two, and entered it again; re- 
turned, and disappeared. In ten minutes, she returned with the male. 
They chattered with great agitation for half an hour, seeming to par- 
ticipate in the affront, and then left the place. I believe all the birds 
thus intruded on manifest more or less concern at finding the egg of ‘ 
a stranger in their own nests. Among these, the Sparrow is particu- 
larly punctilious ; for she sometimes chirps her complaints for a day 
or two, and often deserts the premises altogether, even after she has 
deposited one or more eggs. The following anecdote will show, not 
only that the Cow-Pen [inch insinuates herself slyly into the nests 
of other birds, but-that even the most pacific of them will resent the 
insult. A Blue-Bird had built, for three successive seasons, in the 
cavity of a mulberry-trec near my dwelling. One day, when the nest 
was nearly finished, I discovered a female Cow Bird perched upon a 
fence-stake near it, with her eyes apparently fixed upon the spot, 
while the builder was busy in adjusting her nest. The moment she 
left it, the intruder darted into it, and in five minutes returned, and 
sailed off to her companions with seeming delight, which she ex- 
pressed by her gestures and notes. The Blue-Bird soon returned, and 
entered the nest, but instantaneously fluttered back, with much appar- 
ent hesitation, and perched upon the highest branch of the tree, utter- 
ing a rapidly-repeated note of complaint and resentment, which soon 
brought the male, who reciprocated her feelings by every demonstra- 
tion of the most vindictive resentment. They entered the nest togeth- 
er, and'returned several times, uttering their uninterrupted complaints 
for ten or fifteen minutes. The male then darted away to the neigh- 
boring trees, as if in quest of the offender, and fell upon a Cat Bird, 
which he chastised severely, and then turned to an innocent Sparrow 
that was chanting its ditty na peach-tree. Notwithstanding the af- 
front was so passionately resented, I found the Blne-Bird had laid an 
egg the next day. Perhaps a tenant less attached to a favorite spot 
would have acted more fastidiously, by deserting the premises alto- 
gether. In this instance, also, I determined to watch the occurrences 
that were to follow; but, on one of ‘my moring visits, I found the 
common enemy of the eggs and young of all the small birds had de- 
spoiled the nest, —a Coluber was found coiled in the hollow, and the 
eggs sucked. — 
“ Agreeably to my observation, all the young birds destined to cher- 
ish the young Cow Bird art of a mild and affectionate disposition ; and 
