184 LECTURE V. 



known by its remarkable note. The common 

 Cuckow is about the size of a turtle-dove, and of 

 a deep blueish grey above, white beneath, with 

 numerous narrow dusky bars : the tail rather 

 long and edged with black and white bars, but 

 the young, or bird of the first year's growth, 

 differs so widely in appearance from the bird in 

 its advanced state, that at first sight, it would 

 hardly be supposed to belong to the same species, 

 being varied with brown, black, and ash-colour, 

 somewhat m the manner of the plumage of a 

 Woodcock. The extraordinary conduct of the 

 Cuckow in usurping the nest of some other bird, 

 of much smaller size than itself, as the Yellow- 

 hammer, the Wagtail, or the Hedgesparrow for 

 instance, and depositing its egg in it, leaving it to 

 be hatched, and the young nursed by the care 

 of a stranger, has long excited the wonder of 

 the philosophic world. It is observed that the 

 Cuckow seldom lays more than one egg in the 

 same nest, as if conscious that the space would 

 not be sufficient for the young when hatched. On 

 this subject may be found a highly curious and 

 interesting paper in the 78th vol. of the Phil. 

 Trans, by the celebrated Dr. Jenner, from which 



