NATURE'S CAROL SINGERS. 



less than two minutes she returned and, 

 gazing into her home, suddenly grew 

 greatly agitated and began to hammer 

 the Cuckoo's egg unmercifully with her 

 bill. Fearing that she might break it 

 before I secured a photograph, I jumped 

 up and drove her away, at the same 

 time calling my companion over to 

 take care of the object of her re- 

 sentment. Directly it was gone she 

 assumed all her native gentleness of 

 manner and sat down upon her own 

 eggs quite happy. 



Although young Cuckoos show so 

 much sagacity in getting rid of any 

 other occupants of the nest in which 

 they have been hatched, they sometimes 

 exhibit great stupidity in other direc- 

 tions. For instance, the young bird 

 shown with his Tree Pipit foster-mother 

 in the illustrations figuring in this chap- 

 ter did not understand the alarm cry 

 of the little brown bird at all. It did 

 not matter however loudly she cried 

 " danger" outside the nest up to a certain 

 stage in his career, if he heard anything 

 moving he shot up his head and opened 

 his mouth very widely in request of 

 food. Then, again, if a newly fledged 

 Cuckoo happens to be resting on level 



12 



