Mistress Cuckoo 
The cuckoo is thus abnormal above all our 
other birds, and excites peculiar interest for 
that reason; and while we have no right to 
condone her faults, there are some extenuating 
circumstances for the behavior of Mistress 
Cuckoo which should be taken into account. 
The first fault of the cuckoo to be mentioned 
is, that it often eats the eggs of other birds. 
Crows, jays, and catbirds are in ill-repute for 
doing the same thing. The eagle, however, 
whose offence is more heinous, as he often preys 
upon adult creatures of more value, fares better 
at our hands, and is considered a rather noble 
villain. Great offences are at a premium. It 
is less disgraceful to be an embezzler than a 
sneak-thief. 
We all know that a large proportion of ani- 
mals sustain life wholly or in part by devouring 
their fellow-creatures. A flycatcher will sit 
almost by the hour on the end of a twig, watch- 
ing his chance, and every sally he makes means 
the death of a luckless gnat, moth, or butterfly ; 
and we never think of criticising its propriety. 
We say it is necessary for food and for the de- 
struction of injurious insects. But the bird’s 
only motive is to gratify appetite, and he is not 
at all praiseworthy for doing unconsciously what 
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