214 ^^'^ World-Evidence. 



then sat near until the return of the woodpeckers, 

 when the same thing was repeated. On examining 

 the nest I found four fine young cuckoos in it." "^^ 



Mr. Layard quotes Le Vaillant about the golden 

 cuckoo that it lays a white egg, and states that he 

 gives an account of the manner in which it is carried 

 in the mouth, to be placed in the nests of these birds 

 which are selected as foster-parents for its neglected 

 offspring, t 



The black-and-white cuckoo of South Africa, para- 

 sitic mainly on the woodpeckers, thus, like the great 

 spotted cuckoo, does not limit the number of its eggs 

 intruded into one nest even to two, but puts the lot 

 into one nest, where clearly the young do not contest 

 with each other the right to it, making thus the 

 watching for the parents easy. 



XXXIII. 



THE INDIAN EVIDENCE. 



The Indian evidence for one thing proves, that in 

 the case of certain parasitic cuckoos there, the eggs 

 are so like to those of the birds in whose nests they 

 are dropped, that they are very apt to be overlooked : 

 and, secondly, that eggs of cuckoos, deposited at 

 such times as the eggs of victimised birds are not 

 ready, are not uncommon either ; which just shows 

 that if the cuckoos, there as well as here, cannot find 

 the exact nest ready, they are compelled to take just 

 what they can get. 



* Layard, p. 159. 

 \ Layard, p. 154. 



