146 



THE EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY, 



throws itself into various and always graceful postures, as it searches for its pi-ey. Its 

 food consists of coleopterous, lepidopterous, and dipterous insects, in procuring which 

 it must visit a variety of places ; and very much of hairy caterpillars, which it picks 

 from among the grass and heath, where, however, it cannot search by walking, like 

 the Plover or Curlew, us its feet are too short, and its toes misplaced for such a pur- 

 pose. Yet it can hobble round a bush to pick the worms from it, as well as cling to 

 its twigs, and is thus greatly beneficial to the gooseberry bushes in large gardens in 

 the neighbourhood of its haunts. The inner membrane of its stomach is often found 

 stuck full of the hairs of caterpillars, so as to present a very curious appearance, the hairs 

 being disposed in a circular miinner, showing the rotatory motion of the contents of 

 the organ. The remains of its food are ejected in pellets, as in Hawks and Owls. It 

 has been conjectured that it occasionally feeds on eggs, especially those of the small 

 birds in the nests of which it deposits its own ; but I am not aware of its having been 

 caught in the act. It has also been accused of eating young birds, but no one has 

 found bones or feathers in its stomach. 



The most remarkable trait in the character of the Cuckoo is its confiding the charge 

 of hatching its eggs, and rearing; its young, to some other bird, always much smaller 

 than itself. The species on wtiich it thus imposes its progeny is generally the Mea- 

 dow Pipit, Aiithus pratensis. In Scotland its egg has not been found in the nest of 

 any other bird, but in England it has been discovered in those of various species : — 

 the Hedge Chanter, White Wagtail, Sky Lark, Nightingale, Garden Warbler, and 

 others. The egg is small in proportion to the size of the bird, being generally not 

 much larger than that of its foster-parent, its average length being ten and a half- 

 twelfths of an inch, its greatest diameter eight-twelfths, its colour white, greyish-white, 

 or reddish-white, speckled with ash-grey or greyish-brown. Various conjectures have 

 been hazarded as to the cause of this disproportionately small size of the eggs. If we 

 say that as the Cuckoo is physically constrained to deposit its egg in the nest of some 

 small bird of the insectivorous kind, its egg must be nearly of the size of those of its 

 dupe, we may state a truth, but we afford no explanation of the phenomenon Why 

 should it be so constrained; why does it not form a nest, hatch its eggs, and rear its 

 young? Because, as some say, it leaves its summer residence only in July, and as it 

 remains but two months or a little more with us, it could not leave its young in a suf- 

 ficiently advanced state to shift for themselves.f By why should it thus hurry away ? 

 has it not abundance of food ? does it not go at the very time when insects are most 

 abundant ? If it dreads the cold of autumn, is not that of April or even May much 

 greater ; and if its tender young find enough of heat until September, how is it so 

 much more sensitive ? It has been alleged, conjecturally, that the ovary is much loss 

 plentifully supplied with blood than that of other birds of similar size, and therefore 

 the eggs are not developed; but, in fact, no difference exists between the Cuckoo and 

 Jay in this respect ; and if there were, although the smallness of the eggs might be 

 accounted for in so far, how is it necessary that they should be so small ? — In. short, 

 all that we know about the matter is just this : the Cuckoo arrives in the end of 

 Spring, and departs in July ; it forms no nest ; but deposits its eggs singly in the 

 nests of various small birds, which batch them, and rear the young. The latter re- 

 main until September. The great size of the stomach, the dilatation to which it is sub- 

 ject from the nature of its food, which chiefly consists of hairy caterpillai-s ; the 

 necessity of being ever in motion to procure a sufficiency of this food, which in pro- 

 portion to its bulk contains very little nutriment, and other fanciful notions, have 

 also been adduced as reasons why the Cuckoo does not nestle and hatch its eggs. All 

 our Owls have stomachs equally large, and swallow as much hair, yet they all rear 

 their young. According to Wilson, the Carolina Cuckoo has the stomach capable 

 of great distension, and covered internally with hair, so that in all probabihty it is 

 precisely the same as that of our Cuckoo ; yet it also hatches its own eggs. 



It appears from the observations of various persons, that the Cuckoo, having found 

 a nest, watches for the absence of its owner, then deposits its egg, and flies off; that, 

 in general, the nest in which it places its egg contains none or few egi;s ; that the 

 owners of the nest sometimes eject the intruded egg ; and that in a few instances two 

 Cuckoo's eggs have been found in the same nest. It is also stated that the Cuckoo, 

 on depositing its egg in a nest already containing eggs, sometimes carries off one or 

 more of them ; but frequently nests have been found containing the ordinary number 

 of eggs along with that of the Cuckoo. Pipits or other small birds, finding a Cuckoo at 

 or near their nest, manifest alarm, anxiety, and hatred towards it, just as they would 

 toward a Jay or other suspected bird. 



It was known lo the ancients that this bird leaves its egg to be hatched by another, 

 but they mingled truth with fable, believing that the young devoured not only those of 

 its foster-parents, but finally the latter themselves. The manner in which theyouno- 

 Cuckoo's fellow-lodgers disappear from the nest is perhaps as marvellous as any thint*- 

 else in the history of this strange bird. A pair of Pipits, Wagtails, or Hedge Chanters, 

 would find it a sufficient task to provide their own young with food, and probably would 

 be unable to satisfy, in addition, the incessant cravings of the young Cuckoo, which 

 grows very rapidly ; and as it soon completely fills the nest, would crush to death or suf- 

 focate Its feeble fellow-lodgers. The young Cuckoo, as if in order to obtain sufficient ' 

 nourishment, and prevent the protracted misery of its foster-brethren, ejects them 

 from the nest, and their parents, unable to replace them, or failing to recognize them, 

 leave them to perish. The exclusive occupation of the nest by the young Cuckoo 

 was first satisfactorily accounted for by Dr Jenner. the discoverer of vaccination, who, 

 in the Philosophical Transactions for 1788, states, that having found a nest of the 

 Hedge- Sparrow, containing a Cuckoo's egg and three of the Hedge- Sparrow's, but on 

 the day following a young Cuckoo and a young Hedge- Sparrow, two of the eo-gs hav- 

 ing disappeared, he " saw the young Cuckoo, though so lately hatched, in the act 

 of turning out the young Hedge- Sparrow. The little animal, with the assistance of 

 its rump and wings, contrived to get the bird upon its back, and making a lodgment 

 for its burden by elevating its elbows, clambered backwards with it up the side of the 

 nest." — " It remained in this situation for a short time, feeling about with the ex- 

 tremities of its wings, as if to be convinced whether the business was properly exe- 

 cuted, and then dropped into the nest again. With these, the extremities of its 



wings," he continues, ** 1 have often seen it examine, as it were, the egg and nestling 

 before it began its operations ; and the nice sensibilities which these parts seera to pos- 

 sess seemed sufficiently to compensate the want of sight, which as yet it was destitute of. 

 I afterwards put in an egg, and this, by a similar process, was conveyed to the edge 

 of the nest and thrown out. These experiments I have since repeated several times, 

 in different nests, and have always found the young Cuckoo disposed to act in the 

 same manner." He then states that its shape is well adapted for this purpose, as its 

 back is very broad, with a depression in the middle, which is not filled up until it is 

 about twelve days old. When two Cuckoos' eggs happen to be deposited in the same 

 nest, a severe contest takes place between the newly-fledged young, and continues 

 until the weaker is ejected. 



These observations have been verified by Montagu, who having taken a young 

 Cuckoo, five or six days old, to his house, " frequently saw it throw out a young 

 Swallow for four or five days after. This singular action was performed by insinuat- 

 ing itself under the S\^ allow, and with its rump forcing it out of the nest with a sort of 

 jerk. Sometimes, indeed, it failed after much struggle, by reason of the strength of 

 the Swallow, which was nearly full-feathered ; but after a small respite from the 

 seeming fatigue, it renewed its efforts, and seemed continually restless till it succeed- 

 ed. At the end of the fifth day this disposition ceased, and it suffered the Swallow 

 to remain in the nest unmolested." Mr Blackwall also haTing taken a young Cuc- 

 koo that was hatched in a Tit-Lark's nest seven days after the old birds had quitted 

 the neighbourhood, had an opportunity of observing the same phenomenon. *' The 

 nestling, while in ray possession, turned both young birds and eggs out of its nest, in 

 which I had placed them for the purpose, and gave me an opportunity of contemplat- 

 ing at leisure the whole process of this astonishing proceeding, so minutely and ac- 

 curately described by Dr Jenner. I observed that this bird, though so young, threw 

 itself backwards with considerable force when any thing touched it unexpectedly." 



F/eyond this, there is nothing very marvellous in the history of the young bird, 

 which, carefully fed by its foster-parents, who no doubt believe it to be their own pro- 

 geny, grows apace., It appears that very many species of birds, having hatched the 

 eggs of others, consider the produce to be really their own ; and that many also, with- 

 out having incubated, will adopt a helpless youngling and feed it. It is not more wonder- 

 ful that the Pipits or Wagtails should harbour no suspicion of the alien character of the 

 large bird that fills their nest, than that a hen should continue to perform a motherly 

 part toward the ducklings which manifest the difference of their nature by gladly be- 

 taking themselves to the water, of which she has a salutary dread. While the young 

 Cuckoo remains in the nest, it is plentifully supplied with food by its friends, who 

 having their parental feelings excited by its continued demands, cheerfully labour in its 

 behalf. When it can fiy, and has left the nest, they continue to provide for and pro- 

 tect it to the best of their power, and this conduct of theirs seems the more strange 

 that it contrasts with that of other little birds, even of the same species, but espe- 

 cially Swallows, which fiy aiter and endeavour to molest it. The young are extreme- 

 ly voracious, and when threatened or seized assume an air of boldness, ruffle their 

 feathers, and show a disposition to fight. When confined they may be fed with raw 

 meat, but seldom survive the winter. 



The old birds cease to emit their notes about the end of June, and are nev(=r seen 

 beyond the middle of July. The young disappear about the beginning of September. 

 This species is dispersed over the whole of the Continent, extending to Norway and 

 Lapland, from which, and all the northern and middle regions, it departs early in the 

 season. It is also found in Africa, as far as its southern extremity. The old birds 

 arrive in full plumage, and depart without having moulted. The young also take 

 their departure previously to moulting, which, as in the old birds, takes place in 

 winter. 



A curious instance of a young Cuckoo's being fed by a Thrush is related by the Bi- 

 shop of Norwich. *' It was taken from the nest of a Hedge- Sparrow, and a few days 

 afterwards, a young Thrush, scarcely fledged, was put into the same cage. The latter 

 could feed itself, but the Cuckoo, its companion, was obliged to be fed with a quill; 

 in a short time, however, the Thrush took upon itself the task of feeding its fellow pri- 

 soner, and continued so to do with the utmost care, bestowing every possible attention, 

 and manifesting the greatest anxiety lo satisfy its continual cravings for food. The 

 following," he continues, "is a still more extraordinary instance, corroboratmg 

 the above, and for the truth of which we can vouch in every particular. A young 

 Thrush, just able to feed itself, had been placed in a cage ; a short time afterivards, a 

 young Cuckoo, which could not feed itself, was introduced into the same cage, a large 

 wicker one, and for some time it was with much difficulty fed ; at length, however, it 

 was observed that the young Thrush was employed in feeding it, the Cuckoo opening 

 its mouth and sitting on the outer perch, and making the Thrush hop down to fetch 

 food up. One day, when it was thus expecting its food in this way, the Thrush seeing 

 a worm put into the cage, could not resist the temptation of eating it, upon which the 

 Cuckoo immediately descended from its perch, and attacking the Thrush, literally 

 tore one of its eyes quite out, and then hopped back: the poor Thrush felt itself 

 obliged to take up some food in the lacerated state it was in. The eye healed in 

 course of time, and the Thrush continued its occupation as before, till the Cuckoo > 

 was full grown. 



A case of a like nature, but referring to the Cow-Bunting, a small bird, whose mode 

 of propagation is similar to that of the Grey Cuckoo, is related by Wilson, in his -| 

 American Ornithology. Having taken from the nest of a Maryland Yellow-Throat j 

 a young male Cow-Bunting, he *' placed it in the same cage with a Red Bird, Loxia < 

 Cardiualis, who, at first, and for several minutes after, examined it closely, and seeming- 

 ly with great curiosity. It soon became clamorous for food, and from that moment 

 the Red Bird seemed to adopt it as his own, feeding it with all the assiduity and ten- 

 derness of the most affectionate nurse. When he found that the grasshopper which he 

 had brought it was too large for it to swallow, he took the insect from it, broke it in 

 small portions, chewed them a little to soften them, and, with all the gentleness and 

 delicacy imaginable, put them separately into its mouth. He often spent several 

 minutes in looking at and examiumg it all over, and in picking off any particles of 



