20 Life History of Common Cuckoo. 



other caged birds made it a strict point of duty after 

 feeding the young in the earlier stages to wait and 

 see if they needed to do such service as this, and a 

 wonderful accommodation to necessity it is.] 



" The old bird went on to the nest and off again four 

 or five times in about two hours. I left for breakfast 

 at eight o'clock, the old bird sitting on the nest. 

 Returned at half-past eight. The old bird was off the 

 nest, and the young and eggs as before lying quiet at 

 the bottom of the nest. . . . (She was off for about 

 ten minutes now, and then again afterwards). When 

 off this last time an accentor's egg was put on to the 

 edge of the nest by the young cuckoo in my presence. 

 This was at half-past ten. The egg rested on the 

 edge of the nest for some time, and then it fell down 

 into the bush by the movements of the old bird on the 

 edge of the nest. The cuckoo then fell to the bottom 

 of the nest, apparently in a very agitated state and 

 overpowered or exhausted by the effort. The mother 

 then returned, . . . but remained a very short time 

 on the nest and seemed very uneasy, raising herself 

 and standing in the nest. The cuckoo seemed to be 

 increasing in bulk and was much agitated, lying at the 

 bottom of the nest. The two young accentors lay 

 motionless at the bottom of the nest, whilst the 

 cuckoo kept moving its wings like hands as if to 

 excite or stir its companions into action. In about 

 twenty minutes the cuckoo made two desperate 

 attempts to get one of the young accentors flung over 

 the edge of the nest, but failed, for when it got the 

 young one to the top it fell back again into the 

 bottom of the nest. Another unsuccessful struggle 

 took place when the mother was on the side of the 



