Damaged Nests. 91 



just preparing to slip out of the nest away from us. 

 In this case it must be assumed that there was none 

 near at the proper time who could cast out the young 

 pipit. 



" Again : in one and the same nest we found two 

 cuckoo's eggs, the colouring of which entirely dif- 

 fered, the one from the other. 



" Again : in a nest of Phyllopneuste fnscata we 

 found a cuckoo's egg, green-speckled black, like that 

 of Uragiis sibiricus, which (as is well known) will 

 not receive the egg of the cuckoo, but will rather 

 destroy the nest, and remove its materials ; but near 

 the aforesaid nest lay the eggs of the Phyllopneuste, 

 of a pure white colour. 



" Again : we often found damaged nests, some 

 even torn asunder ; the eggs of which were not eaten, 

 for they for the most part lay around, at a little 

 distance from the nests, broken. 



" The above facts, as well as many other cases, 

 cause us to express the following opinions upon the 

 cuckoo : 



" (a). The female cuckoo deposits her eggs in the 

 nests of other birds ; she does not cast out the eggs 

 of those birds intentionally, and if this should some- 

 times happen it ought to be considered as done by acci- 

 dent. [This is a big assumption, and must be felt to 

 be so, when we have in view what has been said on 

 the subject of substitution of eggs.] 



" (6). Every female cuckoo has her own district, 

 and certain chosen nests, in which to lay her eggs. 

 If she sees that another female cuckoo comes near 

 this district, then she pursues it, and drives it away : 

 but if the other female cuckoo is able to slip into 



