THE CUCKOO 
curious belief that, with lingering memories 
of the days when, a year ago, they devoted 
themselves to the ugly foster-child, the little 
birds still regard the stranger with affection. 
If so, then they have an eccentric way of 
showing it, and the cuckoo, driven by the 
chattering little termagants from pillar to 
post, may well pray to be saved from its 
friends. On the other hand, even though con- 
vinced of their hostility, it is not easy to 
believe, as some folks tell us, that they mis- 
take the cuckoo for a hawk. Even the human 
eye, though slower to take note of such differ- 
ences, can distinguish between the two, and 
the cuckoo's note would still further un- 
deceive them. The most satisfactory explana- 
tion of all perhaps is that the nest memories 
do in truth survive, not, however, investing 
the cuckoo with a halo of romance, but rather 
branding it as an object of suspicion, an 
interloper, to be driven out of the neighbour- 
hood at all costs ere it has time to billet its 
offspring on the hard-working residents. All 
of which is, needless to say, the merest guess- 
work, since any attempt to interpret the 
simplest actions of birds is likely to lead ua 
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