198 CUCULHXE. 



The young birds are not previously killed, nor are the 

 eggs demolished, but all are left to perish together, either 

 entangled about the bush which contains the nest, or lying 

 on the ground under it. The expulsion is effected by the 

 young Cuckoo, who is generally strong enough the day 

 after it is hatched to insinuate itself under the remaining 

 eggs or young birds, and, one after another, to hoist them 

 out ; thus securing to itself the whole of the food brought 

 by the old birds, who adopt and provide for the young 

 Cuckoo as if unable to distinguish between it and their 

 own young, since, if any remain, which is sometimes the 

 case, all are fed alike. I have mentioned that two eggs 

 of the Cuckoo are sometimes found in one nest ; the follow- 

 ing paragraph, referring to such an occurrence, is from Dr. 

 Jenner's paper: "June 27th, 1787. Two Cuckoos and 

 a Hedge Sparrow were hatched in the same nest this morn- 

 ing ; one Hedge Sparrow's egg remained unhatched. In a 

 few hours after, a contest began between the Cuckoos for 

 the possession of the nest, which continued undetermined 

 till the next afternoon ; when one of them, which was 

 somewhat superior in size, turned out the other, together 

 with the young Hedge Sparrow, and the unhatched egg. 

 This contest was very remarkable. The combatants alter- 

 nately appeared to have the advantage, as each carried 

 the other several times nearly to the top of the nest, and 

 then sank down again, oppressed by the weight of its 

 burthen ; till at length, after various efforts, the strongest 

 prevailed, and was afterwards brought up by the Hedge 

 Sparrows." 



" It is wonderful," says Dr. Jenner, " to see the extra- 

 ordinary exertions of the young Cuckoo, when it is two or 

 three days old, if a bird be put into the nest with it that 

 is too weighty for it to lift out. In this state it seems ever 

 restless and uneasy. But this disposition for turning out 



