THE CUCKOO. 35 



slowly but surely makes for the opening of the nest with his 

 living load, and quietly heaves it overboard ! 



Having accomplished this the little blind monster feels 

 about for his next victim ; nor does he rest satisfied until he 

 has ejected from the nest all his foster-brethren. He is 

 now happy, for he will receive all the food brought to the 

 nest by the parent birds, and a greedy creature he is, 

 devouring anything and everything. His appetite is 

 simply appalling. In about a fortnight the young cuckoo 

 is completely fledged and is able to leave the nest; but 

 even then this dissipated bird makes his foster-parents toil 

 for him. They live in terror of him, and well they may, 

 for he is a cruel tyrant. He makes them feed him with 

 worms until he has grown so big that they have to perch on 

 his shoulders in order to reach his mouth. He is far too 

 lazy to take these morsels from their beaks, they have 

 literally to drop them into his mouth. Yet worse, the 

 cuckoo has not a spark of gratitude in his nature. 



Bishop Stanley relates how a young cuckoo, adopted 

 by a thrush, pecked out one of his foster-mother's eyes 

 because she could not resist the temptation of swallowing a 

 fine plump worm which the cuckoo had expected to receive. 



Such is the character of the gay cuckoo. 



