THE PIE KIND. 213 



tention ; it only pursues as an insulter, or a spy, 

 to warn all its little companions of the cuckoo's 

 depredations. 



[In the Philosophical Transactions for 1788, 

 there is a very curious paper on the natural his- 

 tory of this bird, by the celebrated Dr Jenner. 

 " The cuckoo makes its first appearance in Eng- 

 land about the middle of April. Like other mi- 

 grating birds, the female does not begin to lay 

 till some weeks after her arrival ; but, unlike all 

 other birds, she provides no nest, and does not 

 hatch her own eggs. The hedge-sparrow, the 

 water-wagtail, the titlark, the red-breast, the yel- 

 low-hammer, the green-linnet, or the whin-chat, 

 is generally the nurse of the young cuckoo. The 

 three first are often selected, but a greater par- 

 tiality is shown for the nest of the hedge-spar- 

 row. This last commonly takes up four or five 

 days in laying her eggs. During this time (ge- 

 nerally after she has laid one or two) the cuckoo 

 contrives to deposit her egg among the rest, 

 leaving the future care of it entirely to the 

 hedge-sparrow. When this bird has sat her usual 

 time, and disengaged the young cuckoo and 

 some of her own offspring from the shell, her 

 own young ones, and any of her eggs that re- 

 main unhatched, are soon turned out, the young 

 cuckoo remaining possessor of the nest, and sole 

 object of her future care. The young birds are 

 not previously killed, nor are the eggs demolish- 

 ed ; but all are left to perish together, either en- 

 tangled about the bush which contains the nest, 

 or lying on the ground under it. 



