1 64 BIRDS, BEASTS, AND FISHES 



but always the nest of an insectivorous bird, never the nest 

 of a corn-feeder. It is stated with considerable emphasis in 

 most works on ornithology that the cuckoo frequently selects 

 the reed- warbler's nest ; this I believe to be a great mistake. 

 I have never seen a cuckoo's egg in a reed-warbler's nest, 

 nor have I ever met a fenman who has. And when one 

 thinks of the structure and position of the reed-warbler's 

 nest, it seems very improbable that the cuckoo should lay 

 there, though he does, according to testimony, suck their 

 eggs. 



Cuckoo's eggs differ greatly in size and colour, this dif- 

 ference being, as in many birds, due to the age and size of the 

 bird. I think the stronger the bird the bigger the egg, for 

 the cuckoo is a long-lived bird ; indeed, I think one was kept 

 in a cage for over twenty years. The cuckoo generally lays 

 one egg in a nest, though I have seen two in a nest, the 

 eggs being different, one being bigger and bluer than the 

 other ; but I think the eggs were laid by different birds. 

 One old fenman found six eggs in one season all in sedge- 

 warblers' nests ; one of these eggs was in an empty nest, 

 but after the sedge-warbler had laid two of her eggs, the 

 incurious marshman robbed both. 



And when the young toad-like monster is hatched and the 

 foster-brothers are ejected from the nest, the busy little foster- 

 parents work hard all day to supply the ugly little beast with 

 food — beating the marshes for food, though they do not fulfil 

 the Norfolk superstition that the foster-parents go on feeding 

 the young interloper until they are themselves swallowed. 

 The young cuckoo leaves the nest before that, and ranges 

 silently, looking like a hawk ; for he is a quick grower that 

 wanders over the marshes, feeding upon caterpillars, stripping 

 the sallows bare of cankers, shaling round and round the green 

 islets of sallow ; and if you attempt to catch the youngster, 

 who is, after all, not a great eater, though a frequent feeder, 

 he will shriek like a hawk. At this season, too, the young- 

 sters are attended by a retinue of birds. I have often 



