132 THE ANIMALS OF NEW ZEALAND 



and C'lmning. In order that the victim will not be likely' to 

 abandon the cuckoo egg, it is nearly always placed in a nest that 

 contains other eggs. But, by-and-by, the young cuckoo becomes 

 the sole occupant. In New Zealand, the little intruder probably 

 follows the tactics adopted by these birds in England, where the 

 3'oung cuckoo lifts the other young birds on its back, and 

 tumbles them overboard. Mr. Potts says that, in all his 

 experience, he has known only of one egg of a shining cuckoo 

 to be broken in the nest. This is a remarkable fact, considering 

 the thinness and fragility of the shell, and the distance from 

 the entrance of the nest to the bottom. 



A writer in a recent issue of TJie Zoologist, Mr. A. H. Meikle- 

 john, claims to have the unique experience of seeing an English 

 cuckoo in the act of endeavouring to place its egg in the nest of a 

 pair of robins. The incident, he reports, took place between the 

 villages of Hamstreet and Woodchurch, Kent, England. A hen 

 cuckoo carried her egg in her throat to the nest of the robins, 

 who attacked her with great fury. Again and again the little 

 birds struck and buffeted her, and on two occasions one of the 

 robins seized hold of her by the back of the neck, and held on 

 for a few seconds with all the tierce tenacity of a bull-clog. 

 Ultimately, she suddenly darted amongst the grass and 

 disappeared. 



The young cuckoo is fairly well feathered before it leaves the 

 nest. It cries almost incessantly, and is fed by the foster-parents 

 till it can fly well. When attended to by the warblers it moves 

 its head with a lateral motion, in a w^atchful manner, like a 

 hawk. As the warbler approaches, it displays an eager interest 

 by slightly opening and flvittering its wings, and hopping 

 forward to meet its feeder. At this time the cries are repeated 

 more rapidly. Then the insect, brought by the warbler, is 

 swallowed, and the monotonous cries are resumed. Although 

 the young cuckoo may be surrounded by the curious of many 

 species of birds, Mr. Potts adds, it takes no heed of them. When 

 it becomes self-supporting, and obtains food for itself, it shows 

 a great fondness for the larviv of the kowliai moth. 



