THE WAGTAIL. 125 



miglit render it unfit for tlie delicate little nestlings 

 whose home it is. 



The wagtail will not long endure captivity, but 

 its song, though sweet in a wild state, oiFers little 

 temptation to the bird trainer. In Egypt the flesh 

 of these birds is eaten, and they are dried in the 

 sand for this purpose. 



That intrusive bird, the cuckoo, seems greatly 

 to prefer the wagtail's nest to that of any other, 

 when she intends finding a place for her eggs. 

 The cuckoo has been often observed narrowly 

 watching a pair of wagtails, during the process of 

 nest-building, and indeed the busy birds can rarely 

 escape the prying eyes of the less industrious 

 one. Mr. Hoy, of Stoke Nay land, remarks : "On 

 one occasion I had observed a cuckoo, during 

 several days, anxiously watching a pair of wagtails 

 building. I saw the cuckoo fly from the nest, two 

 or three times before it was half completed ; and 

 at last, the labour of the wagtails not going on, 

 I imagine, so rapidly as might be wished, the 

 cuckoo deposited its egg before the Kning of the 

 nest was finished. The egg, contrary to my ex- 

 pectation, was not thrown out, and on the following 

 day the wagtail commenced laying, and, as usual, 



