THE CUCKOO. 237 



The latest contribution on the subject is that 

 of Mr. Gould, who in his splendid folio work on 

 " The Birds of Great Britain," expressed him- 

 self a disbeliever in the popular story. He has 

 since found reason to change his opinion, for in 

 his recently published octavo " Introduction " 

 to that work he says : " I now find that the 

 opinion ventured in my account of this species 

 as to the impossibility of the young Cuckoo 

 ejecting the young of its foster parents at the 

 early age of three or four days is erroneous ; for 

 a lady of undoubted veracity and considerable 

 ability as an observer of nature, and as an artist, 

 has actually seen the act performed [he seems 

 to overlook the circumstance that others had 

 previously seen it], and has illustrated her state- 

 ment of the fact by a sketch taken at the time, 

 a tracing of which has been kindly sent to me." 



This tracing he has reproduced as an engrav- 

 ing in the " Introduction " referred to, and as 

 he has been good enough to allow me the use 

 of the wood block to illustrate the present 

 remarks, the reader may consider himself in 



