CONCERNING THE CUCKOO 109 



The presence in the nest of a bird so greedy as the 

 young cuckoo, and usually so much bigger than 

 its feUows, would, it is urged, in any case bring about 

 the death of the latter, and without it being neces- 

 sary to assume any malice prepense on the part of 

 the young cuckoo. 



There seem, however, to be no grounds for acquit- 

 ting the bird of the charge of deliberately and 

 intentionally causing the death of its fellow-nestlings. 

 Not only is it certain that the young cuckoo ejects 

 the other birds from the nest, but it would appear 

 to be also true that several details of its anatomical 

 structure, and even the temper and disposition of 

 the bird during the first few days of its life, have 

 been acquired for the special purpose of executing 

 its murderous work as swiftly and efficiently as 

 possible. Soon after the young cuckoo is hatched 

 out it exhibits an extraordinarily irritable and 

 restless disposition. It keeps on beating its stumps 

 of wings, it tries to get underneath anything that 

 may be placed in the nest. Anyone may see by a 

 simple experiment how the bird regards itself in 

 relation to aU comers. Not only will it put out 

 the other occupants, but it will throw out pieces 

 of wood, lumps of earth, the eggs of other birds, or 

 anything of the kind which may be placed by the 

 observer in the nest. The other nesthngs are 

 usually disposed of at once — that is to say, during 

 the first or second day — and any eggs that may 

 stiU remain unhatched in the nest are put over the 

 side at the same time. 



The surprising and exceptional nature of this 

 phenomenon, and in some measure also the difficulty 

 of accepting the explanation usually given of the 



