Evening star., 1946-01-12
This and That
By Charles E. TrdceUell.
T ECArunNr crT,D rr,rr-

LEGATION STREET.
Dear Sir:
"The inclosed clipping from the New
York Times tells a good story of
yellow warbler circumventing cow
bird.
But isn't the story bit too good2
HAS such a tale ever been authenti-
Gated? Very truly yours, M. r. K"
The story, from the Canadian Press,
and under Montreal dateline, was as
follows:
ITO foil the willy cowbird, which
deposits her eggs in the nests Of other
birds and leaves the raising Of her
family to the same dupes-they thus
victimize about rs species In Eastern
Americas yellow warbler of Senne-
Vlue, quebec, built nest four stories
high.
Examined after the warbler had
finally raised her brood without in
truders on the top floor, the original
nest and the one above it each held q
single cowbirds egg while the third
story had two cowbird's eggs and one
of the warbler.
This intensive housing project took
place in a small raspberry patch. the
nests built in one of the bushes. It
was the warbler's own selection of a.
nesting site and she was determined
to stick to it."
This story has been authenticated
many times.
On page 1875 of the third volume of
Birds of America" we find the follow
ing.
The yellow warbler seems to be one
OF the few birds and represents per-
haps the only species which resent and
often defeat the cowbirds parasitic
practice of laying its eggs in the nests
OF other birds and unloading upon
them its parental responsibilities.
This the bird does by building a
flooring over its eggs among which a
cowblrd has deposited one of her own
That the bird does this deliberately
and with the definite purpose of avoid
ing the Matching and rearing of the
ugly and voracious founding, is shown
by the fact that the intended victim
OF the cowbird frequently repeats the
hoor-building operation twice, or even
tnree times, to foreStall as many of
the parasites attempts to make it a
foster parent.
why the yellow warbler should be
apparently capable of this discernment
and should resent and defeat the in
tended imposition, while other war
pliers, not to mention the vireos and
SparroWs, evidently not only make NO
effort to get rid of the egg, but feed
the young cowbird as solicitiously as
they iced their own young, Is one OF
Natures riddles of which there appears
to be no solution"
The cowbird egg is usually laid with
smaller eggs.
Thus, because it is larger, it receives
more. warmth.
Also 1t matches quicker, and gets such
an early start that the young cowbird
| monopolizes most of the food the foster
mother brings to the nest.
Too often the foster child is so ner-
sistent in opening it's mouth for food
that the foster mother must desert her
own eggs, which do not hatch.
1t has been estimated that the lives
of two to five other young birds is the
| price OF every cowbird.
since all OF these are favorites, usu.
ally regarded as much better birds thar
coWolrds, 1t may be realized that COW.
oirds In neighborhood are not Sc
| good.
The yellow warbler has many othe,
common names, including summer war.
bier, yellow titmouse, summer yellow.
bird, yellowbird, yellow poll, black-eyec
warbler, golden warbler and wild canary
This latter is incorrect, as man,
popular names are. 1t belongs peculiarly
to the goldfinch, which is correctl,
called wild canary.
The yellow warbler is seen in an,
around Washington from early in Apr
to about the middle Of October.