The Cowbird ( Molothrus ater ) as a Fly-destroyer. — On the 20th of 
October my little son shot a male Cowbird, winging it slightly; the 
bird was exceedingly active and fought most vigorously when taken in 
the hand, pecking savagely, but the moment it was placed on the floor, or 
on a table, it quieted down, and would step promptly and fearlessly up to 
an extended hand, and if a fly were presented, pick it off and stand patient- 
ly to wait for more. It caught flies with unerring snaps of its beak, as 
they flew around its head, buzzed against the window panes, or rested on 
the floor or table top; it drank freely of water, and delighted in picking up 
fine grains of earth and sand between its meals of flies. My children 
began to feed it promiscuously, butit refused everythingexcept flies. They 
took it from room to room, when it was turned loose, and at once began 
its incessant war upon flies, soon catching every one that was not roosting 
on the ceiling. Finally after six or seven days of this captivity the supply 
of live flies gave out, and the bird was taken into the summer kitchen 
where these insects were in the greatest abundance and where large 
numbers were dead, having been whipped by the servants and the chil-' 
dren; the Cowbird ate very heartily of these dead flies, and the next 
morning was found dead in its cage, in which it had been regularly shut 
up and covered every night. 
It became fearless, and was easily taken up in the hand, after it had 
been in the children’s hands about a day; it would stand facing them on 
a table top, and take flies, from their hands as rapidly as they could be 
passed over. — Henry W. Elliott, Smithsonian Institution , Washington , 
D. C. 
Ao*,V I.Ja*., 1889. P* J Z . 
A new Foster-parent of the Cowbird. — On April 28, 1902 , 1 found in an 
old log cabin a nest of Bewick’s Wren, containing five fresh eggs of the 
owner and one fresh egg of the Cowbird. This species I do not find 
mentioned in any book, not even the late Maj. Chas. E. Bendire’s monu- 
mental -work, as a foster-parent of the Cowbird. The nest in question 
was found in the southern part of Ross Co., Ohio, was photographed and 
the entire set collected. — W. F. Henninger, Waverly , Ohio. 
Auk, XIX, Oct., 1602, p p-v-i- 
