172 Stray Feathers. [xsf April 



nest by harsh screeching, and only have to be watched for a few 

 minutes in order to detect the nest. — Fred. P. Godfrey. 23rd 



February, 1905. 



* * * 



Why Does the Young Cuckoo Eject its Foster-Brethren ? — 

 In observing a young Cuckoo ejecting the young of its foster-parents 

 — a small Wren — from the nest, the question arose in my mind which 

 fac'tor is it that operates and causes the young Cuckoo to commit 

 wholesale murder at this early stage of its existence, when but a 

 few hours old. Instinct or reason seemed to be impossible with 

 a bird as yet unfledged and capable only of certain muscular actions. 

 Was it possible that such a young mite should instinctively know 

 at this stage of its life-history that the nest was too small to hold 

 all the nestlings later on when they grew older and larger ? I 

 could not conceive of such a theory being possible. The Cuckoo 

 did not seemingly endeavour to kill its nest companions, but sought 

 only to rid itself from the irritation inflicted by contact with them. 

 The probable solution of the problem is that the factor operating is 

 mainly — possibly wholly — attributable to an involuntary muscular 

 action caused by the sensitive action of the nerves of the skin, which 

 nature has endowed the young Cuckoo with for such purposes. 

 Wriggling in the nest, more particularly with its head, neck, and 

 wings — the freest and most active portions of the nestling — the skin 

 of these parts is brought into contact with the heated surface of 

 its puny neighbour's body ; then local irritation causes muscular 

 movement of the head and neck to take place to free this portion 

 of the body from the irritating proximity of the object which causes 

 the irritation. The endeavour to free the head and neck })ortion, 

 and the concavity of the nest, brings the obnoxious occupant on to 

 the Cuckoo's back, which part likewise receives the irritating stim- 

 ulus, causing the final ejectment of the young Wren by a backward 

 movement. In the human body involuntary actions of the muscles 

 are commonly prevalent, owing to some form of local irritation. 

 The cause of these muscular actions cannot be either reason or 

 instinct. — A. H. E. Mattingley. 



* * * 



A Penguin at Play. — On a recent afternoon, when the sea was 

 smooth and the warmth of the sun tempered by a delightful breeze, 

 Mr. H. C. Thompson (a member of the A.O.U. who is at present 

 on a visit to Devonport) and myself took a walk along the training- 

 wall which bounds the east side of the Mersey River at the mouth, 

 and is said to be | mile in length. We sat on huge blocks of basalt 

 at the extremity of the wall, gazing on the waters of Bass Strait, 

 when our attention was attracted by what at first we took to be a 

 peculiar fish, swimming rapidly beneath the surface of the clear 

 water. In a few seconds we could see that it was a Little Penguin, 

 cleaving its way through the water in that rapid fashion for which 

 its wedge-shape so well befits it. Presently the bird poked its 

 head and part of the neck above the surface, took an instantaneous 

 survey, went again below, and swam on into a sheltered basin 



