146 



COW BUNTING. 



entirely abandoning its progeny to the care and mercy of strangers. 

 More than two thousand years ago it was well known, in those 

 countries where the bird inhabits, that the Cuckoo of Europe (Cu- 

 culus canorus) never built herself a nest, but dropped her eggs in 

 the nests of other birds ; but among the thousands of different spe- 

 cies that spread over that and other parts of the globe, no other 

 instance of the same uniform habit has been found to exist, until 

 discovered in the bird now before us. Of the reality of the for- 

 mer there is no doubt; it is known to every schoolboy in Bri- 

 tain ; of the truth of the latter I can myself speak with confidence, 

 from personal observation, and from the testimony of gentlemen, 

 unknown to each other, residing in different and distant parts of 

 the United States. The circumstances by which I became first 

 acquainted with this peculiar habit of the bird are as follow. 



I had, in numerous instances, found in the nests of three or 

 four particular species of birds, one egg, much larger and differ- 

 ently marked from those beside it ; I had remarked that these odd 

 looking eggs were all of the same colour, and marked nearly in the 

 same manner, in whatever nest they lay ; tho frequently the eggs 

 beside them were of a quite different tint ; and I had also been told, 

 in a vague way, that the Cow-bird laid in other birds' nests. At 

 length I detected the female of this very bird in the nest of the 

 Red-eyed Flycatcher, which nest is very small, and very singularly 

 constructed ; suspecting her purpose I cautiously withdrew without 

 disturbing her; and had the satisfaction to find, on my return, that 

 the egg which she had just dropt corresponded as nearly as eggs 

 of the same species usually do, in its size, tint and markings to those 

 formerly taken notice of. Since that time I have found the young 

 Cow^ Bunting, in many instances, in the nests of one or other of 

 these small birds; I have seen these last followed by the young 

 Cow-bird calling out clamorously for food, and often engaged in 

 feeding it; and I have now, in a cage before me, a very fine one 

 which six months ago I took from the nest of the Maryland Yel- 



