cow BUNTING. 
189 
“ or the young of the Cow-pen finch, though doubtless there 
“ are some others. 
“ What becomes of the eggs or young of the proprietor? 
This is the most interesting question that appertains to this 
“ subject. There must be some special law of nature which de- 
“ termines that the young of the proprietors are never to be 
‘‘found tenants in common with the young Cow-bird. I shall 
“ offer the result of my own experience on this point, and leave 
“ it to you and others better versed in the mysteries of nature 
“ than I am to draw your own conclusions. Whatever theory 
“ may be adopted the facts must remain the same. Having dis- 
“ covered a Sparrow^s nest with five eggs, four and one, and 
“ the Sparrow sitting, I watched the nest daily. The egg of the 
“ Cow-bird occupied the centre, and those of the Sparrow were 
“ pushed a little up the sides of the nest. Five days after the 
“ discovery I perceived the shell of the Finch’s egg broken, 
“ and the next the bird was hatched. The Sj^arrow returned 
“ while I was near the nest, with her mouth full of food with 
“ which she fed the young Cow-bird with every possible 
“ mark of affection, and discovered the usual concern at my 
“ approach. On the succeeding day only two of the Sparrow’s 
“ eggs remained, and the next day there were none. I sought 
“ in vain for them on the ground and in every direction. 
“ Having found the eggs of the Cow-bird in the nest of a Yel- 
“ low-throat, I repeated my observations. The process of incu- 
“ bation had commenced, and on the seventh day from the dis- 
“ covery I found a young Cow-bird that had been hatched du- 
“ ring my absence of twenty-four hours, all the eggs of the 
“ proprietor remaining. I had not an opportunity of visiting 
“ the nest for three days, and on my return there was only one 
“ egg remaining, and that rotten. The Yellow-throat attended 
“ the young interloper with the same apparent care and affection 
“ as if it had been its own offspring. 
“ The next year my first discovery was in a Blue-bird’s nest 
“ built in a hollow stump. The nest contained six eggs, and the 
“ process of incubation was going on. Three or four days after 
