62 A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE CUCKOO. 
nues—“ I have repeatedly taken the Cuckoo’s egg from the Wag- 
tail’s nest ; in this locality it has a decided preference to it. I do 
not recollect finding it in any other, excepting in two instances, once 
in the Hedge Chanter’s, and another time in the Redstart’s nest.— 
In this vicinity, whether the Wagtail selects the hole of a hol- 
low tree, a cleft in the wall, or a projecting ledge under a 
bridge, it does not often escape the prying eye of the Cuckoo, 
as, in all these situations, I have frequently found either egg 
or young.” 
The same observer remarks that ‘it appears to be usual for the 
birds in whose nests the Cuckoo may have deposited an egg before 
they have themselves began to lay, to cast out the Cuckoo’s egg ;” 
and as that gentleman has bestowed particular attention on the phe- 
nomena of this interesting bird, he has doubtless observed some in- 
stances to warrant this remark ; though somewhat at variance, by 
the way, with the general results of those experiments to which I 
have before alluded. ‘On one occasion,” however, he says, “ Ihad 
observed a Cuckoo during several days anxiously watching a pair of 
Wagtails building. I saw the Cuckoo fly from the nest two or three 
times before it was half completed ; and at last, the labour of the 
Wagtails not going on, I imagine, so rapidly as might be wished, 
the Cuckoo deposited its egg before the lining of the nest was 
finished. The egg, contrary to my expectation, was not thrown 
out; and on the following day the Wagtail commenced laying, and, 
as usual, the intruder was hatched at the same time with the rest, 
and soon had the whole nest to itself.” 
Thus we perceive that no constant rules can be laid down, with 
respect to the subsequent proceedings of those birds to whose care 
the Cuckoo entrusts her egg ; and I have purposely transcribed the 
purely unbiassed observations of a very accurate naturalist, rather 
than relate my own to the same effect, because the facts they em- 
body impart additional probability to the supposition that the 
Cuckoo’s egg requires some days to become matured for laying. It 
is further remarkable that this bird continues to produce eggs when 
in deep moult ; but the number which it lays in a season is not easy 
to determine, even on anatomical examination, but is probably about 
seven or eight. The egg is scarcely Jarger than that of a Sky Lark, 
of a peculiar shape, equally obtuse at both ends. Its colour is sul- 
lied white, densely besprinkled all over with brownish specks, many 
of which are confluent, intermingled with some that are larger and 
darker ; occasionally it is tinged with green, or sometimes reddish. 
There is always a peculiar character about it, which renders it at 
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