66 A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE CUCKOO. 
impossible for the young Cuckoo to turn out its fellow nestlings ; an 
instance of which has been related to me, wherein four callow 
Wagtails were found dead, apparently starved, beneath the usurper 
of their abode. A friend recently informed me that he had found, 
with much surprise, after what he had read on the subject, a young 
Cuckoo and two Meadow Pipits, evidently several days old, in the 
nest together; but on revisiting the place a week afterwards he 
found the Cuckoo alone. I could adduce two or three analogous 
instances. The truth appears to be, that the innate propensity of 
the young Cuckoo to oust its companions is first manifested when 
about six days old. 
At the time of its exclusion, the nestling Cuckoo is covered with 
soft, whitish down, a circumstance in which it remarkably differs 
from its naked nest-mates. It exhibits, from an early age, much 
fierceness, raising its plumage, and buffeting at the hand presented 
to it, and jerking itself up and down in the nest, with a menacing 
gesture. Its growth is very rapid, extraordinarily so, considering 
its great developement of feathers; and its voracity is, accordingly, 
equally remarkable. It remains about three weeks, or sometimes 
less, in the nest ; and for a long while after it is flown its assiduous 
nurses may be seen to follow it with food, at times even alighting 
upon it with a morsel. ‘‘ For some weeks,” relates an observer, 
“« did the deluded bird,” a Robin, “ follow her gigantic supposed off- 
spring from tree to tree, and feed it with her favourite food ; and 
so anxious was the poor Redbreast to satisfy the cravings of her 
monstrous charge, that she became at length so tame that she would 
pick crumbs of bread out of the hand, and, after occasionally appro- 
priating a morsel to herself, carry the rest to the Cuckoo, who 
seemed to devour it with great relish.” Another account states that 
“‘a Cuckoo that had been hatched by a Water Wagtail appeared 
every morning, about nine o’clock, for nearly a fortnight, on the 
closely-shaven lawn in front of the house. Though strong enough 
to fly without difficulty, it would not assist itself by picking in the 
least degree, but would wait, with open mouth, till the Wagtail 
flew with the eagerly-expected morsel, which it greedily devoured. 
The avidity shown by this little animal, in attending to the wants 
of this usurper of its nest, was truly astonishing. It ran about ra- 
pidly in quest of food, and searched zealously and successfully ; for 
it was seldom long before it returned with something for its com- 
panion, with the feeding of which it seemed never weary. The 
disparity of size of the two birds rendered this display of maternal 
tenderness a little ludicrous.” In these and some other instances 
