218 
ICTERUS PECORIS. 
This cow bird is now six months old, is in complete 
plumage, and repays the affectionate services of his 
foster parent with a frequent display of all the musical 
talents with which nature has gifted him. These, it 
must be confessed, are far from being ravishing; yet, 
for their singularity, are worthy of notice. He spreads 
his wings, swells his body into a globular form, bristling 
every feather in the manner of a turkey cock, and, 
with great seeming difficulty, utters a few low, splutter- 
ing notes, as if proceeding from his belly ; always, on 
these occasions, strutting in front of the spectator with 
great consequential affectation. 
To see the red-bird, who is himself so excellent a 
performer, silently listening to all this guttural splutter, 
reminds me of the great Handel contemplating a wretched 
catgut scraper. Perhaps, however, these may be meant 
for the notes of love and gratitude , which are sweeter to 
the ear, and dearer to the heart, than all the artificial 
solos or concertos on this side heaven. 
The length of this species is seven inches, breadth 
eleven inches ; the head and neck is of a very deep silky 
drab ; the upper part of the breast a dark changeable 
Violet ; the rest of the bird is black, with a considerable 
gloss of green when exposed to a good light ; the form 
of the bill is evidently that of an emberiza ; the tail is 
slightly forked ; legs and claws, glossy black, strong and 
muscular ; iris of the eye, dark hazel. Catesby says of 
this bird, £< it is all over of a brown colour, and some- 
thing lighter below;” a description that applies only 
to the female, and has been repeated, in nearly the same 
words, by almost all succeeding ornithologists. The 
young male birds are at first altogether brown, and, for 
a month, or more, are naked of feathers round the eye 
and mouth ; the breast is also spotted like that of a 
thrush, with light drab and darker streaks. In about 
two months after they leave the nest, the black com- 
mences at the shoulders of the wings, and gradually 
increases along each side, as the young feathers come 
out, until the bird appears mottled on the back and 
breast with deep black, and light drab. At three 
