14 



YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 



chards. It leaves us, on its return southward, about the middle of 

 September. 



The singular, I will not say unnatural, conduct of the European 

 Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) which never constructs a nest for itself; 

 but drops its eggs in those of other birds, and abandons them to 

 their mercy and management, is so universally known, and so pro- 

 verbial, that the whole tribe of Cuckoos have, by some inconside- 

 rate people, been stigmatized as destitute of all parental care and 

 affection. Without attempting to account for this remarkable habit 

 of the European species, far less to consider as an error what the 

 wisdom of Heaven has imposed as a duty on the species, I will only 

 remark, that the bird now before us builds its own nest, hatches its 

 own eggs, and rears its own young; and in conjugal and parental 

 affection seems no ways behind any of its neighbours of the grove. 



Early in May they begin to pair, when obstinate battles take 

 place among the males. About the tenth of that month they com- 

 mence building. The nest is usually fixed among the horizontal 

 branches of an apple tree ; sometimes in a solitary thorn, crab or 

 cedar, in some retired part of the woods. It is constructed, with 

 little art and scarcely any concavity, of small sticks and twigs, in- 

 termixed with green weeds, and blossoms of the common maple. 

 On this almost flat bed, the eggs, usually three or four in number, 

 are placed; these are of a uniform greenish blue color, and of a 

 size proportionable to that of the bird. While the female is sitting 

 the male is generally not far distant, and gives the alarm by his 

 notes, when any person is approaching. The female sits so close 

 that you may almost reach her with your hand, and then precipi- 

 tates herself to the ground, feigning lameness to draw you away 

 from the spot, fluttering, trailing her wings, and tumbling over, in 

 the manner of the Partridge, Woodcock, and many other species. 

 Both parents unite in providing food for the young. This consists 

 for the most part of caterpillars, particularly such as infest apple 

 trees. The same insects constitute the chief part of their own sus- 



DSI 



