NATURAL HISTORI. 263 



" The merry cuckowe, messenger of spring, 



His trumpet shrill has thrice already sounded ; 

 That warnes all louvers waite upon their king, 



Who now is coming forth with girland crowned." SPENSER. 



819. IVTiy has the toucan such an immense bill? 



In order to enable it to procure its food, consisting of small 

 birds and their eggs, found in deep nests, and various hard 

 vegetable substances. 



820. The bill of the toucan, although large in some instances being nearly a 

 long as the body itself is light and cellular. It 'serves as a hatchet, and at the 

 same time has all the delicate action of a very neat pair of pliers. The toucan is 

 not a swift or powerful flyer ; but its motions, as it hops from branch to branch, are 

 not ungraceful. The bill is, in fact, no incumbrance to the bird, however ill its 

 appearance may suit with our ideas of proportion. 



821. Why is it ordained that the cuckoo should deposit its 

 eggs in the nests of other birds ? 



Because the cuckoo is the largest of insectivorous birds, and 

 requires a great quantity of food, which, like the swallow, it 

 must make constant search for. If cuckoos sat upon their 

 eggs, they would be unable to obtain this large supply; 

 and if they left their eggs to search for food, the eggs would 

 become chilled while they were on the wing. 



822. Why does the cuckoo drop her eggs into the nests of 

 birds smaller than herself? 



Because if she were to drop her eggs into the nest of a bird 

 which produced a large egg, and consequently a large nestling, the 

 young cuckoo would probably find an insurmountable difficulty in 

 sjlely possessing the nest, as its exertions would be unequal to the 

 labour of turning out the young birds. 



823. Why does the female cuckoo deposit her eggs in the nests oj 

 the sparrow, the wagtail, &c., which are disproportionately small ; 

 and pass by the nests of the blaclcbird, thrush, &c., which appear 

 to be better adapted for the purpose ? 



Because the various insects and flies upon which the sparrow, 

 \wtgtcril, &c., feed, form the best kind of jood, upon which the 



