176 THE USEFUL BIRDS 



Human qualities may be found in the Bronze Cuckoo as in 

 other birds, showing the proof the proverb — " One touch of 

 nature makes the whole world kin." Early one September I 

 noticed three birds seated upon the same bough. As I 

 watched them, one flew to tJie ground, upon which the remain- 

 ing two became, human-like, very frivolous. Suddenly one 

 left the bough in pursuit of an insect, caught it, returned, and 

 generously offered its capture to its waiting companion. This 

 very sensibly was accepted by No. 3 in the same spirit as it 

 was offered ; thereupon the bird on the ground, as though 

 jealous of the proceedings above, refused to return to the 

 bough, and the group dispersed. 



Small birds, such as the Blue Wren and the various Tits, 

 naturally exhibit strong objections to the harassing attentions 

 of the Narrow-billed Bronze Cuckoo. On the 25th of 

 December, 1894, I observed an egg of this species under the 

 inner lining of the Striped Ground-Tit's nest {Chthonicola 

 sagittata). The Ground-Tit evidently had covered the egg to 

 prevent incubation. On another occasion I took from the 

 upper chamber of the Yellow-tailed Tit's nest, usually 

 occupied by the male of this species, a fresh Cuckoo's egg 

 whilst below in the incubating chamber were three young 

 Yellow-tails. The upper room was also domed, with side 

 entrance, and I fear the Cuckoo was as much deceived by this 

 parlour as the fly of the proverb was with the spider's. A 

 third peculiar case noticed by myself was a Cuckoo's egg upon 

 the ledge of the nest of the White-fronted Chat {Ephthianura 

 albijrons), 18th December, 1895, while within were two quite 

 naked young and one egg. Did the Chat push this egg on to 

 the ledge ? 



I received recently two eggs of the Narrow-billed Bronze 

 Cuckoo from Swan Hill, which had been taken from the nest 

 of Xerophila leuco'psis, along with five eggs belonging to the 

 rightful owner. 



