The American Cuckoos. 223 



loides, is marked exactly after the cuckoo ; hence its 

 name. 



This is, no doubt, connected with the mobbing by 

 little birds, which has been observed in nearly all 

 countries. In this resemblance to the owls and 

 hawks, it finds not only escape from some enemies, 

 but also what, as Dr. Bowdler Sharpe says, must 

 materially aid it in some of its processes connected 

 with deposition of eggs — only that, in our opinion, 

 the purpose of such mimicry must be at once more 

 direct and of wider scope for use than he quite sets 

 forth. 



Gould, in his Birds of Britain, says " the Spanish 

 sparrows pursued the great spotted cuckoo in flocks 

 till even a cuckoo's life ought to have been a burden 

 to him." 



Audubon says of the American cuckoo that " its 

 nest is simple, flat, composed of a few dry sticks and 

 grass, formed much like that of the common dove, 

 and the eggs are four or five in number, of rather an 

 elongated, oval form and bright green colour. It 

 sometimes robs smaller birds of their eggs, and its own 

 egg, which cannot be mistaken from its singular colour, 

 is occasionally found in another bird's nest." 



Now, we want much more careful and exhaustive 

 observation of American cuckoos even now — obser- 

 vation by different competent persons at different 

 points constant and thorough, and then checked and 

 compared, before we set down that these cuckoos are 

 practically innocent of parasitism or fall into it only 

 occasionally. They build a rough nest and lay four 

 or five eggs ; but these eggs are found in other birds' 

 nests, in some places frequently. 



