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CHAPTER V. 
PARASITIC NESTS. 
Various Parasites—Parasitic Birds—The Cuckoo and its kin—The Cow 
Birp and its nest—Size of its egg—Comparison between the Cuckoo 
and the Apteryx—The Aiprornis—The Biur-racep HoNEY-EATER 
or Batigin—General habits of the bird—Singular mode of nesting — 
The Sparrow-Hawk and its parasitic habits—The Krsrret—lts 
quarrel with a Magpie—The Purrie GRAKLE or Crow BLACKBIRD 
—Its curious alliance with the Osprey—Wilson’s account of the two 
birds—The SPaRRow as » parasite—Curious behaviour of the STORK 
—Parasitic insects—The IcHNEUMON FLizs—The parasite of the 
CaBBaGE CATERPILLAR—Its numbers and mode of making its habi- 
tation—Trap-doors of the cells—The Australian Cocoon and its 
parasites—The Oax-Eccer Moru—Its cocoons and enemies—The 
Puss Mora—Its remarkable cocoon—Powerful jaws of the parasite— 
Rusy-TaiLeD Fis and their victims—Modes of usurpation—The 
Cuckoo Fries or Tachine—Parasites within pupe—Parasites on 
vegetables—The GatL Fuies and their home—British Galls: their 
shapes, structures, and authors—Foreign Galls, and their uses, 
WE now pass to another branch of natural history, and 
come to those creatures that are indebted to other beings 
for their homes. In some cases, the habitation is simply 
usurped from the rightful proprietors, who are either driven 
out by main force or are ousted by gradual encroachment. 
In other cases, the deserted tenement of cone animal is 
seized upon by another, which either inhabits it at once, 
or makes a few alterations, and so converts it to its 
own purposes. In many instances, however, the habita- 
tion of the parasite is found within the animal itself; and 
