was Put out to Nurse 
nest now and hunt about for its own food, 
but was much too lazy to do anything of 
the kind, and sat there in the nest— 
which by this time was all flattened out 
and shapeless with its weight—grumbling 
and hissing at the two hedge-sparrows 
because they didn’t bring the food fast 
enough. Even when at last it began to 
hop about and fly, which it could do very 
well if it liked, it never attempted to feed 
itself, but would sit on a twig and open 
its mouth, shivering its wings and com- 
plaining in a peevish, querulous voice, like 
a little nestling just hatched ; while the 
two old birds would hurry backwards 
and forwards all day and drop cater- 
pillars into it as fast as they could. 
In the meantime Mrs. Cuckoo was so 
pleased with her idea of getting rid of 
her first egg, and so saving herself a lot 
213 
