cow BUNTING. 
213 
complaints for ten or fifteen minutes. The male tlien 
darted away to the neiu-hbonring trees, as if in quest 
of the oflfender, and fell upon a cat-hird, which he 
chastised severely, and then returned to an innocent 
sparrow that was chanting its ditty in a peach tree. 
Kotwithstanding the affront was so |)assionately re- 
sented, I found the bluebird had laid an egg the next 
day. Perhaps a tenant less attached to a favourite 
Spot would have acted more fastidiously, by deserting 
the premises altogether. In this inkance, also, I 
determined to watch the occurrences that were to 
follow, but, on one of my morning visits, I found the 
Common enemy of the eggs and young of all the small 
birds had despoiled the nest, — a coluber ^v•as found 
Coiled in the hollow, and the eggs sucked. 
“ Agreeably to my observation, all the young birds 
destined to cherish the j^oung cow bird are of a mild 
and affectionate disposition ; and it is not less remark- 
able, that they are all smaller than the intruder ; the 
bluebird is the only one nearly as large. This is a 
good natured mild creature, although it makes a vigo- 
rous defence when assaulted. The yellow-throat, the 
sparrow, the goldfinch, the indigo-hird, and the blue- 
bird, are the only birds in whose nests I have found the 
eggs or the young of the cow-pen linch, though doubt- 
less there are some others. 
“ What becomes of the eggs or young of the pro- 
prietor ? This is the most interesting question that 
appertains to this subject. There must be some special 
law of natiu-e which determines that the young of the 
pro|)i-ietors are never to be found tenants in common 
"'ith the young cow bird. I shall offer the result of 
*ay ow'u experience on this point, and leave it to you 
a>id others, better versed in the mysteries of nature 
flian 1 am, to draiv your own conclusions. Whatever 
ffieory may be adopted, the facts must remain the same, 
paving discovered a sparrow’s nest with live eggs, 
lour and one, and the s])arrow sitting, 1 watched the 
»est daily. The egg of the cow bird occupied the 
oentre, and those of the sparrow were pushed a little 
