THE CUCKOO in 



sparrow which then contained a Cuckoo's and three 

 Hedge-sparrow's eggs. On inspecting it the day 

 following I found that the nest now contained only a 

 young Cuckoo and one young Hedge-sparrow. The 

 nest was placed so near the extremity of a hedge, that 

 I could distinctly see what was going forward in it, and 

 to my astonishment, I saw the young Cuckoo in the act 

 of turning out the young Hedge-sparrow. The mode 

 of accomplishing this was very curious. The Cuckoo, 

 with the assistance of its rump and wings, contrived 

 to get the other Bird upon its back, and making a 

 lodgment for the burden by elevating its elbows 

 clambered backward with it up the side of the nest 

 till it reached the top, where, resting for a moment it 

 threw off its load with a jerk, and quite disengaged it 

 from the nest. It remained for a short time feeling 

 about with the extremities of its wings, as if to be 

 convinced that the business was properly executed, 

 and then dropped into the nest again. I have often 

 seen it examine, as it were, with the extremities of its 

 wings, an egg and nestling before it began its 

 operations, and the nice sensibility which these parts 

 seem to possess, compensated the want of sight, 

 which as yet it was destitute of. I afterwards put in 

 an egg, and this by a similar process, was conveyed to 

 the edge of the nest, and thrown out. These experi- 

 ments I have repeated several times in different nests, 

 and have always found the young Cuckoo disposed to 

 act in the same manner. In climbing up the nest, it 

 sometimes drops its burden, and thus is foiled in its 

 endeavours, but after a little respite, the work is 

 resumed, and goes on almost incessantly till it is 



