24 IN AUSTRALIAN WILDS 



"With reference to a suggestion that the action of 

 the infant Cuckoo in ejecting its nest fellows is purely 

 automatic, rythmic, and governed by external stimuli 

 or reflex action, I still cling to the belief that the pro- 

 cess is referable to hereditary instinct, or subconscious 

 memory, aided by dawning reason. . . . The actions 

 of the blind, featherless infant Cuckoo on this occasion 

 (at Olinda Creek, in 1904) certainly showed no sign 

 of being due to reflex action, but, on the contrary, 

 appeared to me a marvellous, and almost uncanny, 

 exhibition of instinct and subconscious reasoning." 



Cuckoos have interested naturalists from the time 

 of .Mian, who flourished in the second century. He 

 observed their parasitical habits. It is certain that 

 much remains to be learned regarding these strange 

 birds. Authorities differ on several points. Some 

 declare that Cuckoos actually lay in nests, others that 

 each egg is laid on the ground, and borne to a nest in 

 the bird's beak. Possibly Cuckoos which choose open 

 nests deposit their eggs directly therein, while species 

 which favour dome-shaped nests adopt the other 

 method. A reliable Australian observer records 

 having seen a Pallid Cuckoo sitting on a Robin's nest. 

 With regard to resemblance between the Cuckoo's eggs 

 and those of the foster-parent, there are some notable 

 instances among Australian species. The Fan-tailed 

 Cuckoo's favourite foster-parent is the White-browed 

 Scrub-Wren [Sericornis frontalis], and the eggs of 

 the two species are much alike, both in size and colora- 

 tion. The Pallid Cuckoo frequently chooses nests of 

 Honey-eaters, which lay eggs closely resembling its 

 own. There are other cases which do not fit in with 

 the theory of mimicry, if that term is permissible here. 



We devoted much time to Cuckoos, but they did 

 not interest us more than the elusive Coachwhip-Bird 

 [Psophodes crepitans], which was more often heard 

 than seen. These shy creatures frequented the 

 "jungle" along the creek and dense scrub in marshy 



