200 THE CUCKOO THE VIPER. 



This inquiry I proposed to myself to make with a fern-owl, or 

 goat-sucker, as soon as opportunity offered : because, if their 

 formation proves the same, the reason for incapacity in the 

 cuckoo will be allowed to have been taken up somewhat 

 hastily. 



Not long after, a fern-owl was procured, which, from its 

 habits and shape, we suspected might resemble the cuckoo 

 in its internal construction. Nor were our suspicions ill 

 grounded ; for, upon the dissection, the crop, or craw, also lay 

 behind the sternum, immediately on the viscera, between them 

 and the skin of the belly. It was bulky, and stuffed hard with 

 large phakEnce, moths of several sorts, and their eggs, which, 

 no doubt, had been forced out of these insects by the action of 

 swallowing. 



Now, as it appears that this bird, which is so well known to 

 practise incubation, is formed in a similar manner with cuckoos, 

 Monsieur Herissant's conjecture, that cuckoos are incapable 

 of incubation from the disposition of their intestines, seems to 

 fall to the ground : and we are still at a loss for the cause of 

 that strange and singular peculiarity in the instance of the 

 cuculus canorus. 



We found the case to be the same with the ring-tail hawk, 

 in respect to formation ; and, as far as I can recollect, with 

 the swift ; and probably it is so with many more sorts of birds 

 that are not granivorous. 



LETTER LXXIII. 

 TO THE HON. DAINES HARRINGTON. 



SELBORNE, April 29, 1776. 



DEAR SIR, On August the 4th, 1775, we surprised a large 

 viper, which seemed very heavy and bloated, as it lay in the 

 grass, basking in the sun. When we came to cut it up, we 

 found that the abdomen was crowded with young, fifteen in 

 number ; the shortest of which measured full seven inches, 

 and were about the size of full-grown earth-worms. This little 

 fry issued into the world with the true viper spirit about them, 

 shewing great alertness as soon as disengaged from the belly 

 of the dam : they twisted and wriggled about, and set them- 

 selves up, and gaped very wide, when touched with a stick, 

 shewing manifest tokens of menace and defiance, though as 

 yet they had no manner of fangs that we could find, even with 

 the help of our glasses. 



