150 BIRDS IN TOWN AND VILLAGE 



more than three to four yards from me, a fine 

 young cuckoo in perfect plumage, his barred under- 

 surface facing me. Although seeing me as 

 plainly as I saw him, he exhibited no fear, and 

 did not stir. Why should he, since I had not 

 come there to feed him, and, to his inexperienced 

 avian mind, was only one of the huge terrestrial 

 creatures of various forms, with horns and manes 

 on their heads, that move heavily about in roads 

 and pastures, and are nothing to birds? But his 

 foster parent, a hedge-sparrow, was suspicious, 

 and kept at some distance with food in her bill; 

 then excited by his imperative note, she flitted 

 shyly to him, and deposited a minute caterpillar 

 in his great gaping yellow mouth. It was like 

 dropping a bun into the monstrous mouth of the 

 hippopotamus of the Zoological Gardens. But 

 the hedge-sparrow was off and back again with 

 a second morsel in a very few moments; and 

 again and again she darted away in quest of food 

 and returned successful, while the lazy, beautiful 

 giant sat sunning himself on his cross-stick and 

 hungrily cried for more. 



This is one of those exceptional sights in nature 

 which, however often seen, never become alto- 



