BIRDS THAT ARE BOARDED OUT 59 



was quite wrong in this ; in the first place, 

 we ought not to blame the cuckoo for following 

 its natural instincts, which it cannot see to be 

 unjust, as we do; and in the second place, 

 the American cuckoos, whatever their shape 

 and habits may be, always make nests and 

 look after their own families. 



This is very strange, because the common 

 cuckoos of North America are just like ours in 

 very many ways, though the colour is not the 

 same, as they have not the barred markings ; 

 they even agree in such a small detail as being 

 very fond of eating hairy caterpillars, and in 

 getting the inside of their stomachs covered 

 with hair in consequence of this habit. There 

 is always something strange and interesting 

 about the ways of cuckoos, even when they 

 are not parasitic on other birds ; their note, or 

 their feeding-habits are strange. The " crow- 

 pheasant," for instance, will eat toads, which, 

 like hairy caterpillars, are creatures that few 

 birds will touch. 



The American cuckoo builds a flimsy nest 

 of twigs, very much like a wood-pigeon's, and 

 lays blue eggs ; and these eggs are laid at such 

 long intervals that, as the old bird begins 



