418 
Brewer’s Remarks on 
Scomberesox saurus, Flem. The Saury — called 
here by the fishermen, the bill-fish. Not unfrequently 
taken on some parts of the coast in nets. Two specimens 
have lately been cast ashore at Nahant — one of which, 
very perfect, was presented to the Society by Mr. Jona- 
than Johnson of that place. 
Murienoides guttata, Lacepede. The butter-fish. 
Found in large numbers under the rocks on beaches at 
low tide. 
Physis furcdtus, Flem. The great forked beard. 
Incorrectly called by our fishermen the Hake. 
Gasterosteus quadroons, Mitchill. The four 
spined stickle-back . — A specimen of this pretty little fish, 
one inch and three lines in length, was brought me by 
Mr. Joseph P. Couthouy, who found it thrown upon the 
beach of South Boston Point, at the entrance of Boston 
Harbor. 
J CL c /VW-Ae vy /'ll (Jf 
ART. XIX.— REMARKS ON THE POSITIONS ASSUMED 
BY GEORGE ORD, ESQ. IN RELATION TO THE COW 
BLACK-BIRD, (ICTERUS AGRIPENNIS) IN LOUDON’S 
MAGAZINE FOR FEBRUARY, 1836. By Thomas M Brewer. 
Read July 6th, 1836. 
“ Of all the known birds that are indigenous to North 
America” says Mr. Ord, in a communication to Loudon’s 
Magazine for February, 1836, “perhaps there is not one 
whose habits are so interesting as those of the cow- 
bunting, cow-bird, cow-pen bird or cow black-bird, 
(the Fringilla pecoris of Latham) ; and yet there is 
hardly one, whose history has been involved in greater 
obscurity.” These observations are just ; and to the 
I 
*. . 
the Cow Black-Bird. 419 
latter clause he might have added, that among American 
birds, there is hardly a single species whose habits are less 
generally known, except indeed by professed ornitholo- 
gists, than those of this interesting bird. Its very existence 
among us is unknown to most ; or if any are aware that 
we have a bird that imposes upon its neighbors the task 
of rearing its young, it is but too often confounded with 
the European cuckoo. But the fact is, our cuckoos, thus 
unjustly involved in the obloquy attached to the conduct 
of the European species, in the beautiful language of 
Wilson, “ build their own nest, hatch their own eggs, 
and rear their own young ; and in conjugal and parental 
affection, are nowise behind any of their neighbors of 
the grove.” 
That the habits of this bird should have been thus 
involved in obscurity, and should continue so, to the 
present day, will not, perhaps, strike us with so much 
astonishment, when we learn that such distinguished nat- 
uralists as Wilson, Nuttall and Audubon, have not been 
entirely free, in their account of its habits, from inaccu- 
racies. Many of the errors and omissions of these justly 
celebrated naturalists have been pointed out by Mr. Ord, 
in the communication before alluded to. Several of his 
positions I have it in my power to confirm, by actual 
observation. There are, however, many, which he seems 
to have adopted much too hastily ; which are not only 
not supported, but have actually been confuted by estab- 
lished facts. There are also some circumstances which 
he appears to have overlooked altogether. To the con- 
sideration of these, I would ask your attention a few 
moments. 
In the first place, the writer of the above paper enu- 
merates four positions assumed by others, but which he 
pronounces untenable. They are, 
( 
