434 Brewer’s Remarks on the Cow Black-Bird. 
ject of the removal of eggs by birds, from one place to 
another ; and the result of my inquiries has satisfied me, 
that the thing is mot only not impossible, but that it is 
practised much more frequently, by several species of 
birds, than is generally imagined. I have been recently 
informed by the author of “ Birds of America,” that he 
has himself seen the chuck-will’s-widow remove her eggs 
to another place on perceiving that they had been handled. 
With regard to the cow-troopial, in the case of the golden- 
crowned thrush, this same accurate observer of nature 
informs me that the cow black-bird is in the custom of 
rolling her egg along on the ground, and of thrusting it 
into the opening of the nest of the thrush with her head. 
This, however, could not have been practised in the nest 
of which I have already spoken in the possession of Mr. 
Rotch, and in which an egg of the cow black-bird was 
actually found, a fact of which I was not aware when I 
gave a description of this nest. It was impossible that 
this method could have been put in practice in this case, 
as the nest was not built as it generally is, upon the ground, 
but on a bush slightly elevated above the ground. In all 
other respects it was exactly similar, the entrance being 
on the side and not on the top. It must therefore have 
been thrust into the nest by means either of the bill or of 
the claws of the bird. From the inconvenient shape of 
the former, it would seem most probable that the latter 
was the means employed. I am inclined to think that 
the removal, not only of the eggs, but even of the nests, 
is also not of unfrequent occurrence. It has been related, 
with every appearance of truth, to have been witnessed 
in France, in the European nightingale. I am nearly 
certain that I have met with another instance in our 
common house-wren. The only reason I have for hesi- 
/A , v t 
(/ 4 n *r d l*. 
f 
* 
4 V 
t 
a /4,‘t 2- 
' ‘ A - - •' 
/ wr. Y 
**SA ij 7iv, ^ ^ ^ /A 
