General Notes on the Cuckoo. 19 



occupants are in the nest for a few days they are 

 trampled upon and ignored, and the usurper gets 

 more than his "fill." The ejectment business is 

 carried out by means of the rump, not by the bill as 

 many observers state, which appears to be admir- 

 ably suited for such performances, and the bird is 

 aided by the featherless wings and muscular legs. 

 When twelve days old the hollow in the middle of 

 the back fills up, but b}^ this time its purpose has been 

 fulfilled, and the foster-parents have as much as they 

 can do to satisfy their adopted fledgling's voracious 

 appetite. The foster-parents very rarely seem to re- 

 sent the intrusion, or to notice their consequent losses. 

 The following from Mr. Evans's excellent book 

 (included in the Cambridge Natural History Series), 

 "Birds," in connection with the Cuckoo's parasitical 

 habits, is worth quoting here. He says : " The eggs 

 are invariably deposited in the nests of other birds, 

 which rear the intruder and feed it until it leaves the 

 Country ; but it is doubtful how many are produced 

 in a season — possibly five or six— or whether the 

 same hen ever places two or more in one nest. It 

 is now certain that the ^gg is laid on the ground and 

 conveyed to the chosen nursery in the bill, an oc- 



