THE COW BLACK BIRD. 25

are committed to the charge of the red-
eyed fly-catcher, the Maryland yellow
throat, the blue-bird, the sparrow, and the
thrush, and these birds act as foster-
parents and nurses. When fully fledged,
the Cow Black Birds quickly desert their
foster-parents, and join those of their own —
species. They are the most faithless of
birds, having no lasting attachments for
each other. -The song of the Cow Bird is
cuttural and unmusical, and is accompa-
nied by a bristling of the feathers and a
swelling of the body, in the manner of the
Turkey. The length of this bird is seven
~ inches. The plumage of the head and
neck is a blackish-brown; the rest black,
glossed with green. The legs and claws
are black.