OF SELBORNE. 125 
Many times have I had the curiofity to open the flomachs of 
woodcocks and fnipes; but nothing ever occurred that helped to 
explain to me what their fubfiftence might be : all that I could 
ever find was a foft mucuSj among which lay many pellucid fmall 
gravels. I am, &c. 
LETTER IV. 
TO THE SAMK. 
DEAR SIR, Selborne, Feb. 19, 1770. 
VorR obfervation that the cuckoo does not depofit it's egg in- 
*' difcriminately in the neft of the firO; bird that comes in it's way, 
" but probably looks out a nurfe in fome degree congenerous, 
with whom to intruft it's young," is perfedly new to me; and 
ftruck me fo forcibly, that 1 naturally fell into a train of thought 
that led me to confider whether the facl was fo, and what reafon 
there was for it. When I came to recoiled and inquire, I could 
not find that any cuckoo had ever been feen in thefe parts, except 
in the neft of the zvagtail, the bcdge-fparrow, the titlark, the 
zvbite-throat, and the redbrcaft, all foft-billed infedivorous birds. 
The excellent Mr. IVilhghhy mentions the nefl: of the palumbus 
(ring-dove), and of the fringilla (chaffinch), birds that fubfifl: on 
acorns and grains, and fuch hard food : but then he does 
not mention them as of his own knowledge ; but fays after- 
wards 
