io6 OF INSTINCT. SECT. XVI. t 



faid to me, "There is a. bird's neft upon one of the 

 Coal flack Hill's ;' the bird is now fitting, and is ex- 

 aftly like a cuckoo. They fay that cuckoos never 

 hatch their own eggs, otherwife I fhould have fworn 

 it was one " He took me to the fpot, it was in an open 

 fallow ground ; the bird was upon the neft, I flood and 

 obferved her fome time, and was perfectly fatisfied it 

 was a cuckoo ; I then put my hand towards her, and 

 fhe almoft let me touch her before fhe rofe from the 

 neft, which (he appeared to quit with great unea- 

 linefs, flamming over the ground in the manner that 

 a hen partridge does when didurbed fr/om a new 

 hatched brood, and went only to a thicket about 

 forty or fifty yards from the neft ; and continued 

 there as long as 1 ftaid to obferve her, which was 

 not many minutes. In the neft, which was barely a 

 hole fcratched out of the coal-flack in the manner 

 of a plover's neft, I obferved three eggs, but did 

 not touch them. As I had labourers conftantly at 

 work irr that field, I went thither every day, and 

 always looked to fee if the bird was there, but did 

 not dtfturb her for feven or eight days, when I was 

 tempted to drive her from the n,eft, and found two-, 

 young ones, that appeared t' have been hatched 

 fome days, but there was no appearance of the third 

 egg. 1 then mentioned this extraordinary circinn- 

 ftance (for fuch I thought it) to Mr. and Mrs. Holyoak 

 of Bldrord Grange, Warwickfhrre, and to Mifs M. 

 Willes, who were on a vifit at my houfe, and who 

 all went to fee it. Very lately 1 reminded Mr. Holy- 

 oak' of it, who told me he had a perfect recollection 

 of the whole, and that, confidering it a curiofity r . 

 he walked to look at it feveral times, was perfectly 

 fansfled as to its- being a cuckoo, and thought her 

 more attentive to her young, than any other bird he 

 ever obferved, having always found her brooding 

 her young. In about a week after I firft faw the 

 young ones, one of them was miffing, and I rather 

 fufpecled my plough-boys having taken it ; though it 



in+eht 



