214 HISTORY OF 



" The early fate of the young hedge-sparrows," 

 Dr Jenner continues, " is a circumstance that has 

 been noticed by others, but attributed to wrong 

 causes. A variety of conjectures have been 

 formed upon it. Some have supposed the parent 

 cuckoo the author of their destruction; while 

 others, as erroneously, have pronounced them 

 smothered by the disproportionate size of their 

 fellow-nestling. 



" I examined the nest of a hedge-sparrow on 

 the 18th of June 1?87, which then contained 

 a cuckoo's and three hedge-sparrow's eggs. On 

 inspecting it the day following, I found the bird 

 had hatched, but that the nest now contained 

 only a young cuckoo and one young hedge-spar- 

 row. 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, 

 saw the young cuckoo, though so newly hatch- 

 ed, in the act of turning out the young hedge- 

 sparrow. The mode of accomplishing this was 

 very curious ; The little animal, with the assist- 

 ance of its rump and wings, contrived to get the 

 bird upon its back, and making a lodgement 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 disen- 

 gaged it from the nest. It remained in this si- 

 tuation a short time, feeling about with the ex- 

 tremities of its wings, as if to be convinced 

 whether the business was properly executed, and 

 then dropped into the nest again. With these 



