140 BIRDS OF THE WORLD 



greater part of the Old World. Its fame is due partly 

 to its wonderful call, "Cuckoo, cuckoo!" and partly to 

 its curious parasitic habits. For this bird, like the 

 American Cowbird, thrusts the charge of its offspring 

 upon other birds, choosing as its dupes such species as 

 Robins, Hedge Sparrows, Wagtails, Thrushes, Larks 

 and Red-back Shrikes. The young Cuckoo almost as 

 soon as hatched ejects the offspring of its foster-par- 

 ents from the nest, thereby securing an abundance of 

 food for itself. See Plate 7, Fig. 30. 



The resemblance which the Common Cuckoo bears 

 to the European Sparrow Hawk, both in flight and 

 colouration, serves it in good stead when seeking vic- 

 tims on whom to thrust its eggs. The male Cuckoo 

 attracts the attention of the other birds and drawsf 

 them away from their nest, in defending which they do 

 not hesitate to attack even the Sparrow Hawk. The 

 female Cuckoo watches this opportunity to steal up 

 and deposit her egg with those of the absent birds, 

 having first dropped it and then picked it up in her 

 bill. When the infuriated pair return, they either do 

 not notice the additional egg or are so thankful to find 

 their nursery intact that they do not interfere with the 

 egg that has been thus cleverly foisted upon them. 

 The egg of the Cuckoo is extremely small compared to 

 the size of the bird and closely imitates in colour those 

 of the birds to whose care it is committed. 



The Ani is common in the Bahama Islands and 

 occasionally seen in the southern parts of the United 

 States. The Groove-billed Ani, another species hav- 

 ing the upper mandible ridged, ranges north through 

 Mexico into Lower California and some of the South- 



