mniotilta ( m mute)

[Gr. mnion =mo , and tiltos plucked; til to =to pluck.] Ornith.: The typical genus of the family Mniotiltidæ (q.v.). But one species is known, Mniotilta varia, the Motacilla varia of Linnæus. General color black, broadly edged with white. It is popularly known in America as the Black-and-white Creeper. It builds on the ground, and its nest is a favorite receptacle for the parasitic eggs of the Cow-bird, Molothrus pecoris . [MOLOTHRUS.]