COW TROOPIAL, OR COW BLACK-BIRD. 183 
if they were ejected by the young Troopial. Indeed, as 
far as I have had opportunity of observing, the foundling 
shows no hostility to the natural brood of his nurses, but 
he nearly absorbs their whole attention, and early displays 
his characteristic cunning and self-possession. When 
fully fledged, they quickly desert their foster-parent, and 
skulk about in the woods, until, at length, they instinc- 
tively join company with those of the same feather, and 
now becoming more bold, are seen in parties of 5 or 6, 
in the fields and lanes, gleaning their accustomed sub- 
sistence. They still, however, appear shy and watchful, 
and seem too selfish to study any thing more than their 
own security and advantage. 
The egg of this bird is almost oval, scarcely larger 
than that of the Blue-bird, thickly sprinkled with points 
and confluent touches of olive brown, of two shades, some- 
what more numerous at the greater end, on a white ground 
tinged with green. But in some of these eggs the ground 
is almost pure white, and the spots nearly black. 
The song of the Cow-bird is guttural and unmusical, 
uttered with an air of affectation, and accompanied by a 
bristling of the feathers and a swelling of the body in the 
manner of the Turkey. These are also all the notes of 
the species in the season of their attachment ; so that 
their musical talent rates lower than that of any other bird 
perhaps in the genus. Sometimes the tones of the male 
resemble the liquid clinking of the Bobolink and Red- 
winged Black-bird. Sitting on the summit of a lofty 
branch, he amuses himself perhaps for an hour with an 
occasional ’Iduck } tsee , the latter syllable uttered in a 
drawling hiss like that of the Red-wing ; accompanied 
by his mates, he also endeavours to amuse them by his 
complaisant chatter ; and watching attentively for their 
safety, they flit together at the instant he utters the loud 
