C U C K O O. 



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U." A similar instance has been related to the writer 

 of this article, but which also met with a like fate. It is 

 most probable that, in these cases, the eggs were laid 

 by two different cuckoos ; and the occurrence of this 

 fact seems to show, that the cuckoo, in a hurry per- 

 haps to ease herself of the burden as soon as possible, 

 and fearful also of being caught upon the nest by its 

 rightful owner, hardly looks at or notices the eggs 

 of her dupe before laying her own, and that, after- 

 wards, being unable to distinguish between her own 

 egg and that of another cuckoo, she destroys neither. 



The writer of this is unable to say positively, 

 whether *he European cuckoo ever devours the eggs 

 of other birds, but he thinks it most probable that it 

 does so ; that the cuckoo sucks birds' eggs is every- 

 where a very common opinion throughout the country, 

 but the mere fact of her destroying them would be 

 sufficient to give rise to this opinion. A female 

 specimen, however, in the writer's possession, has its 

 plumage soiled in several places with yolk of egg, 

 and, though little can be deduced from this circum- 

 stance, he thinks it worth while to mention it. It is 

 quite certain that many exotic species, nearly allied 

 to our cuckoo, do feed very much upon birds' eggs. 

 Wilson says of the Coccyzus Carolinensis, that " they 

 are accused, and with some justice, of sucking the 

 eggs of other birds, like the crow, the blue-jay, and 

 other pillagers ;" and this is further confirmed by 

 Audubon, who says, of the same species, that "the 

 yellow-billed cuckoo of America robs smaller birds of 

 their egg?, which it sucks on all occasions," &c. It 

 is, therefore, more than probable, to judge fiom 

 analogy, that the European cuckoo does the same. 



Having now pretty copiously disposed of all that 

 concerns the cuckoo's egg, we have next to detail the 

 singular and wonderful instinct of the young cuckoo. 

 We have seen that, in the American cattle-bird (see 

 COW-BUNTING), nature has provided for the exclusive 

 maintenance of the young stranger, by decreeing that 

 the alien egg should invariably be hatched before the 

 others with which it had been placed ; but the young 

 cuckoo bfing always a much stronger bird than its 

 fellow-nef.tlings (when it has any), is endowed with 

 the extr tordinary instinct of ejecting them from the 

 west. This interesting fact was first made known to 

 the wf.rld by the excellent Dr. Jenner, " who," as 

 Wilsrn observes, "has since risen to immortal 

 celebrity in a much nobler pursuit, and to whose 

 genius and humanity the whole human race are 

 under everlasting obligations." To this gentleman 

 are we indebted for the discovery of some of the most 

 interesting phenomena of the cuckoo's history ; and 

 honourable mention of his name should be made by 

 every writer who has occasion to treat upon this bird. 

 Speaking of the cuckoo's egg in the nest of the 

 meadow pipit, Mr. Selby observes, " As the same 

 period of incubation is common to both birds, the 

 eggs are hatched nearly together, which no sooner 

 takes place, than the young cuckoo proceeds instinc- 

 tively to eject its young companions and any remain- 

 ing eggs from the nest. To effect this object it 

 contrives to work itself under its burden (the back, 

 at this early age, being provided with a peculiar 

 depression between the shoulders), arid shuffling 

 backwards to the edge of the nest, by a jerk rids 

 itself of the incumbrance ; and the operation is 

 repeated, till the whole being thrown over, it remains 

 sole possessor. This particular tendency prevails for 

 about twelve days, after which the hollow space 



NAT. HIST. VOL. II. 



between the shoulders is filled up ; and when pre- 

 vented from accomplishing its purpose till the expira- 

 tion of that time, as if conscious of inability, it suffers 

 its companion to remain unmolested." This latter 

 curious fact was first discovered by Colonel Montagu, 

 who (as has often since been done from curiosity), 

 when bringing up a young cuckoo by hand, placed 

 frequently another young bird in the nest with it, for 

 the purpose of seeing it ejected by the cuckoo, and 

 noticing the manner in which this is done. " Some- 

 times indeed," says he, " it failed, after much strug- 

 gling, by reason of the strength of the young swallow, 

 which was nearly full feathered ; but, after a small 

 respite from the seeming fatigue, it renewed its efforts, 

 and seemed continually restless till it succeeded. At 

 the end of the fifth day" (it had been five or six davs 

 hatched when taken) "this disposition ceased, and it 

 suffered the swallow to remain in the nest unmolested." 



A nest, however, upon the ground may sometimes 

 be so situate, as to render it impossible for the young 

 cuckoo to turn out its fellow nestlings, of which the 

 writer of this has been told an instance wherein four 

 callow wagtails were found dead, apparently starved, 

 beneath the usurper of their abode. 



The young cuckoo's plumage is exceedingly unlike 

 that of the adult bird ; so much so, that some of the 

 cabinet naturalists have even described it as a distinct 

 species, under the names ofCiiculus rufus and Cucuhis 

 hepaticus. The whole upper parts are generally of a 

 deep clove brown, tinged here and there with grey, 

 and barred with rufons brown, sometimes also margined 

 with whitish. There are usually three spots of white 

 upon the back of the head, but these are sometimes 

 wanting in the young females. The oval spots on 

 the inner webs ot the quills are reddish brown. 

 Throat and under parts yellowish white, with trans- 

 verse black bars ; paler upon the belly, a line of demar- 

 cation being visible, where in the adult bird the grey 

 ceases upon the breast. Irides, at first greyish, after- 

 wards liver brown, and beginning to change to yellow 

 about the time they leave us in September. Legs 

 and toes primrose yellow. The whole plumage 

 indeed having a pretty transversely barred appearance, 

 which renders them handsomer than the adult birds. 



Unlike every other British bird, except the swift 

 and chimney swallow, they leave the country in this 

 their nestling plumage ; but do not, as has been sug- 

 gested, gradually change, without moulting, to the 

 adult colour ; they moult about the middle of winter, 

 but as they carry such an immense proportion of 

 feather, the change occupies a longer period than that 

 of most other birds, the young cuckoos having gene- 

 rally some traces of the immature plumage upon the 

 wings when they reappear in spring. As the old 

 females have always some transverse rufous bars upon 

 the sides of the neck and breast, it is probable that 

 these must have given rise to the supposition that 

 the young cuckoos do not moult during their absence, 

 but undergo, Hke the ptarmigan, a gradual change of 

 colour. 



Varieties of this species sometimes occur, as in 

 most other birds, that is to say, variations of colour. 

 The writer has seen a young albino individual, and 

 also a very singular adult one, which was shot in 

 spring, whilst it was repeating its cry. This bird has 

 all the upper parts and breast of a bright rufus colour, 

 beautifully barred with black; not at all resembling, 

 however, the plumage of the immature cuckoo, but 

 more that of the female kestrel hawk ; although un- 

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