Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1871-04-06
Queer Birds.

IMPROPER CONDUCT OF THE cow MING
The Somerse; Reporter few weeks ago
Contained the following note tom MIR.
John Totman OF Pishon's Ferry:
In the summer of 1859, n small chip bird
or ground sparrow came to nv store door
II pick from the sweepings such food as
she liked, such a. grass seed. She was 80
uncommony tame that | cautioned the
boys not to frighten her She seemed 80
very hungry ut frst that She took little
police. Amer about ten days another
young bird came with her that tad lust
begun to fy but much larger than the chip
bird She At once began Ia pick and feed
him, at first with very small seeds but he
vas SO very greedy that She soou began
to feed him dte skins and seeds. This
continued about week until the youn.
bird got the complete use of bis wings.
supposed at the time that the young bird
from its size and color was OF the species
known a. Cat Bird. but he seemed too
large, as ,cdiksr after the crow fashion.
Tine mother y was very SIN n sparrow
and hoJ1er. Will some one versed in
ornithology give Us through the Reporter.
further Information about this Kind of
ste -noihcr procedure which am certain
II uncommon in these par,sZ
10 this demand for information Prof
Charles r Hamiin Of Colby University
makes the following reply:
The question proposed by Mr.. Totman
l. one easily answered. tt case uf the
Sparrow seen by him feedin. a young bird
larger than itself. or a. he aptly terms it,
this Kind of step mother procedure" il
Got as he supposes. uncommon in these
parts. but is annually paralleled In hun
ored of cases in Every town of Maine. Mr.
nf L 49,
show accuracy OF observation and state
nient; and he traced the bird to its proper
classification, for it is more nearly related
10 the Crow than 10 the Cat bird
The birds OF all America, TO their credit
be IT said, with but single known excep-
non, mate, and rear their young in honest
Nedlock; and, setting u good example to
unfeathered bipeds never resort to bills of
divorce. The one exception 10 the rule OF
pairing is Afforded by bird that is very
common among US, known as the Cow
Blackbird, Cow-Bunting or Cow-bir T. IL
h about a. large as the Bobolink and the
male is in color black, with brown head
and neck, while the female is sooty brown.
paler beneath. These birds are never
known to mate or build nests general
concubinage prevails among them, and, as
3 natural consequence, they shirk wholly
the care and labor of Matching their eggs
and rearing their young. When the breed
ing season comes. the female stealthily de-
posts her eggs in the absence of their
owners, dropping one egg, only. in a nest.
This egg is always Matched earlier than
those of the nurse bird, and on this singu-
lar circumstance the whole success of the
imposture depends. Why this takes place
is not certainly known, but the most prob
able explanation seems to be that given by
Nuttall, who says, that the .'larger egg
brought nearer to the body (of the setting
bird, Is better warmed and sooner hatch.
ed" Indeed the eggs Of the owner Of the
nest are seldom or never Matched. Wilson
asserts that he was not able to learn of an
instance of the Matching of any Of the eggs,
except that Of the Cow-bird. Nuttalfs
words imply that he had found both kinds
IF Young in one nes., for he says: ''From
ii great size of the parasite, the legiti-
mate Young are often stifled, and when
dead are conveyed, ae usual, BY the duped
uareuts to a distance before being drop
ned: but are never found Immediately be-
meath the nest. ~ would invariably happen
10 they were elected by the young Cow
oard."
bereft Of her own offspring, the foster
mother adopts the ''squatter, and nurses
IL with the same fond care that she would
have lavished upon her rightf0l progeny.
But rs she has to feed pig and greedy
glutton, her TASK il q hard one. This fact
VIII explain why the Sparrow, observed