302 
ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE. 
possessor of the nest, and sole object of her future care. The 
young birds are not previously killed, nor are the eggs de- 
molished, but all are left to perish together, either entangled 
about the bush which contains the nest, or lying on the ground 
under it. 
On June 18, 1787, I examined the nest of a hedge-sparrow f 
which then contained a cuckoo’s and three hedge-sparrow’s eggs. 
On inspecting it the day following, I found the bird had hatched, 
but that the nest now contained a young cuckoo and only one 
young hedge-sparrow. The nest was placed so near the extremity 
of a hedge, that I could distinctly see what was going forward in 
it; and, to my astonishment, saw the young cuckoo, though so 
newly hatched, in the act of turning out the young hedge- 
sparrow. 
The mode of accomplishing this was very curious. The 
little animal, with the assistance of its rump and wings, contrived 
to get the bird upon its back, and making a lodgment for the 
burden by elevating its elbows, clambered backward with it up 
the side of the nest till it reached the top, when, resting for a 
moment, it threw off its load with a jerk, and quite disengaged 
it from the nest. It remained in this situation a short time, 
feeling about with the extremities of its wings, as if to be con- 
vinced whether this business was properly executed, and then 
dropped into the nest again. With these (the extremities of its 
wings) I have often seen it examine, as it were, an egg and nest- 
ling before it began its operations ; and the sensibility which 
these parts appeared to possess seemed sufficiently to compensate 
the want of sight, which as yet it was destitute of. I afterwards 
put in an egg, and this by a similar process was conveyed to the 
edge of the nest and thrown out. These experiments I have 
since repeated several times in different nests, and have always 
found the young cuckoo disposed to act in the same manner. 
In climbing up the nest it sometimes drops its burden, and thus 
is foiled in its endeavours ; but after a little respite the work 
is resumed, and goes on almost incessantly till it is effected. It 
is wonderful to see the extraordinary exertions of the young 
cuckoo, when it is two or three days old, if a bird be put into 
the nest with it that is too weighty for it to lift out. In this 
state it seems ever restless and uneasy. But this disposition 
for turning out its companions begins to decline from the time 
it is two or three till it is about twelve days old, when, as far 
as I have hitherto seen, it ceases Indeed, the disposition for 
throwing out the egg appears to cease a few days sooner ; for I 
have frequently seen the young cuckoo, after it had been hatched 
