85 
that they are not previously destroyed but 
may in general be found, either entangled 
in the bush that contains the nest, or on 
the ground, lying under it. It is likewise 
asserted that the egg of the Cuckow is 
invariably preserved by the fdster bird; 
this appears not to be the case at all times 
for we are assured by the Rev. Mr. Spurrell 
that "having; found a Cuckow's ego- he 
removed it from the nest into which it had 
been originally laid (the old birds having 
forsaken the nest) and put it into that of a 
chaffinch; but upon going a day or two 
after to look at the nest, to his astonish- 
ment the egg of the Cuckow was gone, 
nor could he find any remains of it. 
It is probable it might not strike him 
at the time to examine the bush or ground 
under it with sufficient attention. The 
egg, however, might have been removed 
from having received some injury previous 
to its being placed in the nest, which 
escaped observation. 
Almost every author who has written 
the history of this bird, has asserted that 
