THE CUCKOO. 171 



Contest for possession of a nest. 



days old, this cavity is quite filled up, the back 

 assumes the shape of that of nestling birds in ge- 

 neral, and at that time the disposition for turning 

 out its companion entirely ceases. The smallness 

 of the cuckoo's egg, which in general is less than, 

 that of the house-sparrow, is another circum- 

 stance to be attended to in this surprising tran- 

 saction, and seems to account for the parent 

 cuckoo's depositing it in the nests of such small 

 birds only as have been mentioned. If she were 

 to do this in the nest of a bird that produced a 

 larger egg, and consequently a larger nestling, 

 the design would probably be frustrated; the 

 young cuckoo would be unequal to the task of 

 becoming sole possessor of the nest, and might 

 fall a sacrifice to the superior strength of its 

 partners." 



This gentleman likewise observes, that it some- 

 times happens that the eggs of two cuckoos are 

 deposited in the same nest; and gives the follow- 

 ing instance, which fell under his observation. 



" Two cuckoos and a hedge-sparrow were 

 hatched in the same nest ; one hedge-sparrow's 

 egg remained unhatched. In a few hours a con- 

 test began between the cuckoos for possession of 

 the nest, which continued undetermined till the 

 afternoon of the following day, when one of them, 

 which was somewhat superior in size, turned out 

 the other, together with the young hedge-sparrow 

 and the unhatched egg. This contest, he adds, 

 was very remarkable : the combatants alternately 

 Y2 



