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THE COW-PEN-BIRD. 
when any such remain after the hatching of the others, they always remove 
them from the nest ; and, in the present case, the remaining eggs are soon 
removed, and may sometimes be seen strewn about in the vicinity of the 
nest. In the case of the Cuckoo matters are differently managed, for the 
young bird of that species very ungratefully jostles out of the nest all his 
foster-brothers and sisters, that he may have room enough for himself. If 
we are fond of admiring the wisdom of Nature, we ought to mingle reason 
with our admiration ; and here we might be tempted to suspect her not so 
wise as we had imagined, for why should the poor Yellow-throat have been 
put to the trouble of laying all these eggs, if they are, after all, to produce 
nothing? This is a mystery to me ; nevertheless, my belief in the wisdom 
of Nature is not staggered by it. 
As the young Cow-bird grows up, its foster parents provide for it with 
great assiduity, and manifest all the concern and uneasiness at the intrusion 
of a stranger, that they would do were their own offspring under their charge. 
When fully fledged, the young bird is of a sooty-brown colour. Long after 
it has left the nest, it continues to be fed by its affectionate guardians, until 
it is at length able to provide for itself. 
Towards the end of September, the old and young Cow-birds congregate 
in vast numbers, and are seen wending their way southward, sometimes by 
themselves, more frequently intermingled with other species, such as the 
Purple Grakles and the Redwings, which they join in their plundering 
expeditions. They are to be seen in the Middle States until near the end 
of October, although unusually severe weather sometimes forces them 
southward at an earlier period. 
This species derives its name from the circumstance of its frequenting 
cow-pens. In this respect it greatly resembles the European Starling. Like 
that bird it follows the cattle in the fields, often alights on their backs, and 
may be seen diligently searching for worms and larvae among their dung. 
In spring, the cattle in many parts of the United States are much infested 
with intestinal worms, which they pass in great quantities, and on these the 
Cow-bird frequently makes a delicious repast. 
It has no song properly so called, but utters a low muttering sort of 
chuckle, in performing which, it is seen to swell out its throat, and move the 
feathers there in succession, in a manner very much resembling that of the 
European Starling. 
The young bird from which I made the present figure was sent to me by 
my friend Thomas Nuttall, Esq., through Dr. Trudeau. It is the same 
as that described by the former gentleman under the name of “ Ambiguous 
Sparrow, Fringilla ambigua,” at p. 485 of his Manual of the Ornithology 
of the United States and of Canada. On inspecting it, however, I at once 
