SHARP EYES. 47 



before laying the second, so that he has seen one 

 young bird nearly grown, a second just hatched, and 

 a whole egg all in the nest at once. " So far as I 

 have seen, this is the settled practice, the young 

 leaving the nest one at a time to the number of six or 

 eight. The young have quite the look of the young 

 of the dove in many respects. When nearly grown 

 they are covered with long blue pin -feathers as long 

 as darning-needles, without a bit of plumage on them. 

 They part on the back and hang down on each side 

 by their own weight. With its curious feathers and 

 misshapen body the young bird is anything but hand- 

 some. They never open their mouths when ap- 

 proached, as many young birds do, but sit perfectly 

 still, hardly moving when touched." He also notes 

 the unnatural indifference of the mother-bird when 

 her nest and young are approached. She makes no 

 sound, but sits quietly on a near branch in apparent 

 perfect unconcern. 



These observations, together with the fact that the 

 egg of the cuckoo is occasionally found in the nests 

 of other birds, raise the inquiry whether our bird is 

 slowly relapsing into the habit of the European spe- 

 cies, which always foists its egg upon other birds ; or 

 whether, on the other hand, it be not mending its 

 manners in this respect. It has but little to unlearn 

 or forget in the one case, but great progress to make 

 in the other. How far is its rudimentary nest a 

 mere platform of coarse twigs and dry stalks of weeds 

 from the deep, compact, finely woven and finely 



