COMMON CUCKOO. 183 



expulsion is effected by the young Cuckoo, who is generally 

 strong enough the day after it is hatched to insinuate itself 

 under the remaining eggs or young birds, and one after ano- 

 ther, to hoist them out ; thus securing to itself the whole 

 of the food brought by the old birds, who adopt and pro- 

 vide for the young Cuckoo as if unable to distinguish be- 

 tween it and their own young, since if any remain, which is 

 sometimes the case, all are fed alike. I have mentioned that 

 two eggs of the Cuckoo are sometimes found in one nest ; the 

 following paragraph, referring to such an occurrence, is from 

 Dr. Jenner's paper: — "June 27th, ]787. Two Cuckoos 

 and a Hedge-sparrow were hatched in the same nest this 

 morning ; one Hedge-sparrow's egg remained unhatched. 

 In a few hours after, a contest began between the Cuckoos 

 for the possession of the nest, which continued undetermined 

 till the next afternoon ; when one of them, which was some- 

 what superior in size, turned out the other, together with the 

 young Hedge-sparrow, and the unhatched egg. This con- 

 test was very remarkable. The combatants alternately ap- 

 peared to have the advantage, as each carried the other seve- 

 ral times nearly to the top of the nest, and then sunk down 

 again, oppressed by the weight of its burthen ; till at length, 

 after various efforts, the strongest prevailed, and was after- 

 wards brought up by the Hedge-sparrows." 



" It is wonderful," says Dr. Jenner, " to see the extraor- 

 dinary exertions of the young Cuckoo, when it is two or 

 three days old, if a bird be put into the nest with it that is 

 too weighty for it to lift out. In this state it seems ever 

 restless and uneasy. But this disposition for turning out its 

 companions begins to decline from the time it is two or three 

 till it is about twelve days old, when, as far as I have hither- 

 to seen, it ceases. Indeed, the disposition for throwing out 

 the egg appears to cease a few days sooner ; for I have fre- 

 quently seen the young Cuckoo, after it had been hatched 



