12« CUCULUS CANORUS. 



Cuckoo, which is fairly worth all the notions of the closet na- 

 turalists from Pliny to the present day. 



" In this part of the country, the nest of the Titlark is the 

 one almost invariably selected by the Cuckoos for depositing 

 their eggs. Indeed, I have never seen them in any other. In 

 Balgornie ISIoor, situate in the extremity of the parish of Bath- 

 gate, on Saturday the 19th of May 1838, a pair of Titlarks 

 finished their nest. The female laid an egg upon Sunday, Mon- 

 day, and Tuesday. During one of these days, a Cuckoo took 

 the opportunity of dropping her egg amongst those of the Tit- 

 lark. How she succeeded in doing this, I know not, as the nest 

 was built upon the side of a deep perpendicular ditch, the top 

 of which was thickly covered over with strong heath in the 

 shape of a dome, and the entrance into it was very narrow. 



" Nearly the same period of incubation seems to be required 

 for hatching both kinds of eggs. Upon Wednesday morning 

 the 23d, the female Titlark began to sit upon the eggs, and 

 upon that day fortnight, the 6tli of June, they were all hatch- 

 ed. I saw them a short time after this had taken place. The 

 young Cuckoo appeared to be about one-third larger than the 

 Titlarks, and of a dark colour. It was constantly ga^^ing for 

 food. Upon its back, from the shoulders downwards, there was 

 a particular depression, which I do not recollect of hawing seen 

 in any other young bird. On the afternoon of the 10th, two of 

 the Titlarks were found lying dead at the bottom of the ditch. 

 The other one had disappeared. 



" On Wednesday afternoon the 13th, the feathers of this young 

 bird had a strong resemblance to the prickles of the hedge-hog, 

 and it had grown so fast that it nearly filled the whole nest. 

 When any thing touched it unexpectedly, as has been remarked 

 by Mr Blackwall, it threw itself back with considerable force. 

 It was bold and fierce. AVhen I put my finger near its bill, it 

 ruffled its feathers, stood upon its legs, struck at it with its wings, 

 and even attempted to bite. For several hours I watched the 

 motions of the foster parents in order to ascertain whether they 

 Avere still kind to the charge committed to their trust, and they 

 continued to pay it the same uuM-earied attention. During the 

 space of an hour they fed it generally ten or twelve times. The 



