curious traits of this most exceptional bird. They never pair, and, having no family cai’es, are nomadic. 
When the female feels the necessity of laying an egg, she leaves the flock and hurries to some neighbor- 
ing wood where a nest is likely to be found, or seeks one in the pasture where she happens to be. If hard- 
pressed, and no unwatched nest can be discovered, she drops her egg upon the ground, but probably 
with many misgivings. Most of the small birds are annoyed by the Cowbird, and but few nests, from the 
size of the Wood Thrush’s down to that of the little Blue-gray Gnatcatcher’s, are exempt from her assault. 
I have repeatedly found her eggs in the nests of Sparrows and Warblers, which build upon the ground, 
as well as in the nests of the small birds which build in bushes and trees. As a rule, the nest of a 
bird smaller than herself is selected for her eggs, but there are occasional exceptions. I once 
found her egg in a Meadow-lark’s nest, and once in a Robin’s. The nests of the Woodpeckers and 
of other bii'ds which build in holes in trees, and the nests of birds which build in crevices about ma- 
sonry or in holes in banks, are seldom, if ever, invaded ; nor does the Cowbird often lay in the nest of 
the Wren or Oriole. Ordinarily, but a single egg is placed in a nest, but sometimes as many as four 
or five are left to the care of one small bird. The Acadian Flycatcher is frequently the recipient of 
two, and once I found three with three of the Flycatcher’s own eggs. 
The Cowbird causes much anxiety to the birds of the wood and field, and is as much to be dreaded 
as the Blue Jay or the snake. The busy, peering intruder is a familiar object in the woods in May and 
June. She hastens from branch to branch, scanning with her trained eyes every crotch and nook likely 
to contain a nest, and, indeed, but few escape her notice, although many are too well guarded for her 
purposes. She is a coward, and never takes forcible possession of a nest, but, finding one unprotected, 
she occupies it for a minute or two and then sneaks away, apparently satisfied that her young one will 
be well able to hold its own in company with the strangers. Nor is she mistaken, for generally the 
young Cowbird is the strongest and largest of the brood. It not only has an advantage as to size, but 
frequently has the additional advantage of being hatched a day or two before its mates. It often hap- 
pens that the young Cowbird soon becomes so strong and large that it gets all the food and occupies all 
the nest, the real heirs being slowly starved and eventually crowded from their home. Under these 
exasperating circumstances the foolish mother still continues to feed and care for the Cowbird as if it 
were some giant of her own species of which she is especially proud, I have often seen a Chipping 
Sparrow, a Summer Warbler, or some other small bird, devoting every energy to the care of a large, 
clumsy Cowbird, which was well able to fly, but still too inexperienced to procure food for itself. 
After the Cowbird is hatched, all possible attention is given it, although much uneasiness and distress is 
sometimes produced when the foreign egg is first discovered. The Summer Warbler frequently builds a 
second nest over the first, thus burying the obnoxious egg. See page 72. The Chipping Sparrow and 
Wood Be wee occasionally abandon their nests rather than incubate a Cowbird’s egg, and there is scarcely 
a doubt but that all birds recognize the despised egg at once, and probably they have some idea of the 
result if it is hatched. This being the fact, it is to me surprising that some way does not suggest itself of 
getting rid of the detested egg. The cleanly habits of the birds will not permit of its being broken in 
the nest, but most birds are certainly strong enough to roll it out. While all birds dislike the egg, 
they seem to have a certain amount of respect for it; much more than we would suppose under the 
circumstances. But in judging of such matters, we should take into consideration that our point of de- 
parture and that of a bird are probably some distance apart. 
194 
