Aiy Birds and their Doings. 121 
2nd of May another of these e<ig.s were laid in the same nest. By 
the nth three yonng Cardinals were hatched, but not till the 14th 
did the Cowbirds' eggs chip, and the Cardinals having grown so 
rapidly in the meantime, that, fearing it was useless to allow the 
Silky's eggs to remain and hatch, probably only to be crushed by 
their larger companions, I removed the chipped eggs, and know- 
ing of a Starling just hatching out gave them into her care. 
On May 15th one egg was found hatched but the otlier was 
missing, the former did not have the appearance of having been 
fed, so it was again removed and placed with the young of the 
common Hedge Sparrow, but, alas! next day was found dead 
outside the nest, having been thrown out of the nest most pro- 
bably after death, as I have found the Hedge Sparrow an excellent 
mother, one I remember sitting on some Ring Ouzels' eggs for 
several days until a Blackbird could be found to whom they 
could be given. 
In the meantime a Blackbird had built in the Wilderness 
aviary, and on May 6th a Silk}^ Cowbird's egg was found together 
with two Blackbirds' eggs, and on the 8th the Blackbird was 
sitting on three of her own eggs and two of the Silky Cowbirds' 
(^sce photo of eggs and nest) bui again disappointment came, for on 
the following day the Silky's eggs had been thrown out of the 
nest and were picked up some distance away broken. 
It will now be best to follow the doings of the RuDDY- 
SHOULDERED CowBiRDS. My first pair, which later proved to be 
two hens, built a nest, very round and rather deep inside, placed 
in a bush about three feet from the ground, the material used 
being hay and dried bents of grass. On May 9th the first egg 
was noticed, but if others were laid they must have been eaten 
as no trace of them was found. 
I might here observe that one of these hens was constantly 
attended by a cock Bullfinch, and was often to be seen being fed 
by this admirer, so thinking he might be disturbing her proper 
nesting I removed him. On May i6th I found a second nest 
containing four Ruddy's eggs; I then came to the conclusion 
that I had been trying to breed from two hens, so having an odd 
cock from a pair, the hen of which had died, I turned him in 
with the two hens; he immediately began to disport him- 
