STAELIJsGS. 
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the breast and neck. The tips of the two middle 
tail feathers and the terminal ends of the others, of a 
duller orange. Quills, excepting the first, margined 
with white. Length, seven inches and three-quarters. 
The Cow-troopial (Icterus pecoris), is another bird 
of this family. Like our Cuckoo this bird prepares 
no nest itself, but makes choice of those of other birds, 
wherein to deposit its eggs, laying only one in each, 
which it leaves to be hatched by them, and relinquishes 
the rearing of the young one to the care of the foster- 
parents. It seems to have its favourite nests ; for it 
prefers those of the Fly-catcher’s, red and white-eyed, 
and that of the Maryland yellow-throat : yet it does 
not refuse to make use of those of the Blue-bird, the 
Blue-eyed yellow warbler, the Blue-grey Fly-catcher, 
the Chipping-sparrow, the Grolden-crowned thrush, 
Wilson’s Thrush, and the Indigo-bird. Kuttall tells 
us, that “ wFen the female is disposed to lay, she 
appears restless and dejected, and separates from the 
unregarding flock. Stealing through woods and 
thickets, she pries into the bushes and brambles for 
the nest that suits her, into wdiich she darts, in the 
absence of its owmer, and in a few minutes is seen to 
rise on the wing, cheerful and relieved from the 
anxiety that oppressed her, and proceeds back to the 
flock she had so reluctantly forsaken. If the egg be 
deposited in the nest alone, it is uniformly forsaken ; 
but if the nursing-parent have any of her own, she 
immediately begins to sit. The Bed-eyed Fly-catcher, 
in whose beautiful basket-like nests I have observed 
these eggs, proves a very affectionate and assiduous 
nurse to the uncouth foundling.” 
