CUCULUS CAXORUS. 



515 



were hatched. The other two eggs had disappeared. I saw the young 

 cuckoo — though so lately hatched— in the act of turning out the young 

 hedge-sparrows. The little creature, with the help of its rump and wing.% 

 contrived to get the bird upon its back, and making a lodgment for its 

 burden by elevating its elbows, clambered backwards with it up the side of 

 the nest till it reached the top, where, resting for a moment, it threw off 

 its load with a jerk. It remained for a short time, feeling with the 

 extremities of its wings to be convinced that the business was done, and 

 then dropped into the nest again. With the extremities of its wings I often 

 saw it examine the egg and nestling before it began. Their nice sensibili- 

 ties compensated for the want of sight, which as yet it was destitute of. I 

 afterwards put in an egg, and this, by a similar process, was conveyed to 

 the edge of the nest and thrown out. These experiments I repeated several 

 times, in different nests, and have always found the young cuckoo act in 

 the same manner." 



Its shape is adapted for the purpose, its back is broad, with 

 a depression in the middle, which is not filled up until twelve 

 days old. When two cuckoo's eggs are placed in the same 

 nest a severe contest takes place until the weaker is ejected — a 

 striking instance of Darwin's theory, " survival of the fittest." 

 In the " Manchester Memoirs," vol. IV., Mr Blackwell says : — 



" On June 30th I got a young cuckoo in a titlark's nest on the 28th — 

 seven days after the old cuckoos had quitted the neighbourhood ; it turned 

 both young birds and eggs out of its nest in which I placed them for the 

 purpose, and gave me the opportunity of witnessing the process so minutely 

 and accurately described by Dv Jenner. I observed that this bird, though 

 so young, threw itself backwards with much force when anything touched 

 it unexpectedly." 



Montagu also says : — 



" I first saw the young cuckoo a few days old in the hedge-sparrow's nest ; 

 the sparrow had four eggs, when the cuckoo dropped a fifth ; the cuckoo 

 was hatched in the morning, and by evening all the young sparrows were 

 ejected. At five days' old I took it to my house. It frequently threw out 

 a young swallow (put in for experiment) for four or five days after. It 

 insinuated itself under the swallow, and, with its rump, forced it out of the 

 nest with a jerk. Sometimes it failed after a struggle, for the swallow was 

 nearly full feathered, but, after a short rest renewed its efforts, and was 

 restless till it succeeded. After the fifth day it suffered the swallow to 

 remain unmolested." 



Mr Weir, another close observer, says : — 



"Upon the top of Monyfoot Hill, Linlithgowshire, I knew a titlark's 

 nest under a bush of heath with five eggs — one of which was a cuckoo's. A 

 few days after they were hatched the young titlarks were lying dead on 

 the ground, turned out by the intruder, the sole occupant of the nest. One 

 day I saw the titlarks flying in with worms and flies in their bills feeding 

 it with great care. When I went near the nest they hovered about me, 

 uttering their cry of alarm. They always flew off, and returned together 

 with food. When three weeks old it grew bold, and put itself in an 

 attitude of defence. I took it home and kept it five months. It became 

 tame and familiar, though at times fierce and pugnacious ; when teamed it 



