140 BRITISH AND EUROPEAN BIRDS* 



The Hover-Hawk came, too, though loth to renounce 

 His strong inclination on pigeons to pounce; 



threw out her own eggs from the nest, or destroyed her own 

 young, to make room for her guest, the cuckoo, under the im- 

 pression, it is presumed, that it was an office of honour to be thus 

 employed in fostering our canorous summer visitant, but more 

 accurate observation appears to have dispelled these suspicions. 

 Dr. Jenner, (Philosophical Transactions for 1788,) found that, 

 soon after the young cuckoo is hatched by the hedge-sparrow, 

 the egg<, or the young ones, whichsoever should happen to be in 

 the nest, are turned out of it by the young cuckoo, and by it 

 alone. It would seem, that the operation of expulsion is not 

 less singular than the deposition of the egg itself in the hedge» 

 sparrow's nest; it is effectuated by the young cuckoo, in a curi- 

 ous manner, with its broad hollow back, which, it has been con- 

 jectured, is thus formed to enable it to perform this extraordi- 

 nary action. It is now also pretty well ascertained, that, when 

 a cuckoo is hatched in the hedge-sparrow's nest, there is no room 

 for any other occupant. 



As far as I have been able to ascertain the fact, the difference 

 between the size and plumage of the male and female cuckoo 

 is very trifling ; the male is a little larger. 



The song of the cuckoo is supposed to be the note of the male 

 alone; the female's note is said to be very different, much less 

 known, and has some resemblance to the cry of the dabchick. 

 The female, it is also said, is generally attended by two or three 

 males in every country, from the earliest period of their arrival. 

 This is, however, I think, too broad a statement, although it has 

 been asserted by naturalists, that the males are always consi- 

 derably more numerous than the females. Dr. Jenner (Phi- 

 losophical Transactions for 1824,) says, that "the cuckoo is inva- 

 riably a polygamist, and never pairs in this country." The truth 

 seems to be, notwithstanding all that has been observed and 

 published concerning this bird, that its Natural History is still 



