160 COW BUNTING. 



" matured young ones, lying near the nest containing a Cow-bird, 

 " and therefore I cannot resist this conclusion. Would the foster 

 " parent feed two species of young at the same time ? I believe not. 

 " I have never seen an instance of any bird feeding the young of 

 "another, unless immediately after losing her own. I should 

 " think the sooty looking stranger would scarcely interest a mother 

 " while the cries of her own offspring, always intelligible, were to 

 " be heard. Should such a competition ever take place, I judge the 

 " stranger would be the suiferer, and probably the species soon be- 

 " come extinct. Why the lex naturae conservatrix should decide 

 " in favor of the surreptitious progeny is not for me to determine. 



" As to the vocal powers of this bird, I believe its pretensions 

 " are very humble, none of its notes deserving the epithet musical. 

 " The sort of simple cackling complaint it utters at being disturbed, 

 " constitutes also the expression of its pleasure at finding its compa- 

 " nions, varying only in a more rapidly repeated monotony. The 

 " deportment of the male, during his promiscuous intercourse with 

 " the other sex, resembles much that of a pigeon in the same situa- 

 " tion. He uses nearly the same gestures ; and by attentively listen- 

 " ing you will hear a low, guttural sort of muttering, which is the 

 " most agreeable of his notes, and not unlike the cooing of a pigeon. 

 " This, Sir, is the amount of my information on this subject; and is 

 " no more than a transcript from my notes made several years ago. 

 " For ten years past since I have lived in this city, many of the im- 

 " pressions of nature have been effaced, and artificial ideas have 

 " occupied their places. The pleasure I formerly received in view- 

 " ing and examining the objects of nature are however not entirely 

 " forgotten; and those which remain if they can interest you are 

 " entirelv at your service. With the sincerest wishes for the sue- 

 " cess of vour useful and arduous undertaking, 



" I am, dear Sir, 



" Yours, very respectfully, 



" NATHANIEL POTTER." 



