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on top of it. "What struck me most was this; the Cuckoo was 

 perfectly naked, without a vestige of a feather, or hint of future 

 feathers ; its eyes were not yet opened, and its neck seemed too 

 weak to support the weight of its head. The Titlarks had well 

 developed quills on the wings and back, and had bright eyes 

 partially open ; yet they seemed quite helpless under the manipu- 

 lation of the Cuckoo, which looked a much less developed creature. 

 The Cuckoo's legs however, seemed very muscular, and it appeared 

 to feel about with its wings, which were absolutely featherless, as 

 with hands ; the spurious wing, unusually large in proportion, 

 looked like an outspread thumb. The most singular thing of all 

 was the direct purpose with which the blind little monster made 

 for the open side of the nest, the only part where it could throw its 

 burden down the bank." After the true nestlings are ejected, for 

 weeks the powers of the foster parents are exercised to the utmost 

 to feed the gaping and constantly complaining occupant. Even 

 when the young Cuckoo has outgrown the rest, and is strong 

 enough to fly about, he is still attended by his foster parents. If 

 a bird is put into the nest that is too large for it to eject, or if the 

 nest is in a hollow it kills it by treading on it, or sometimes after a 

 time of great uneasiness allows it to remain. But after the first 

 few days of its life it does not mind an intruder. If two Cuckoos 

 are hatched in the same nest, there is " war to the knife " until the 

 weaker one is ejected. The reverse side of all this murderous 

 selfishness is seen in the love and attention of the foster parents 

 for their unnatural adopted child. Wrens, Eobins, and Titlarks 

 devote thomselves to satisfy its enormous appetite. The Cuckoo 

 makes its winter home at the Cape of Good Hope, travelling by 

 the Nile valley and E. African coast. 



I read a strange fact about some brilliantly coloured birds found 

 in Africa — the Plaintain Eaters ; their primaries are a beautiful 

 red, and in a violent shower in the rainy season the whole of the 

 brilliant red colour is washed out, and the quills become pinky white, 

 but after two or three days the colour is renewed, and the wings 

 resume their former beauty. 



I shall not say much about Woodpeckers, except to call your 

 attention to these pictures, which, I believe, are fairly true, and to 

 the fact that they are typical climbing birds, helped by their long 

 toes, arranged two in front and two behind, and by their stiffened 

 tails. I have already called attention to their tongue, which has 

 minute barbs at the end, and is covered with a sticky fluid ; but the 

 mechanism by which it is suddenly thrown out and drawn back is a 

 wonderful instance of special development for a special purpose, 

 though rather too technical for this paper to-night. 



The Kingfisher is the most brilliantly coloured bird perhaps in 



