BRITISH BIRDS. 
I05 
ternate fpots of white on each fide the Ihaft ; the 
legs are Ihort and of a yellow colour; toes two 
forward, two backward ; claws white. 
The Cuckoo vifits us early in the fpring — its 
well-known cry is generally heard about the mid- 
dle of April, and ceafes the latter end of June ; its 
Hay is ihort, the old Cuckoos being faid to quit this 
country early in July. Cuckoos never pair ; they 
build no neft; and, what is more extraordinary, the 
female depofits her folitary egg in that of another 
bird, by whom it is hatched. The neft lhe chufes 
for this purpofe is generally feledted from the fob 
lowing, viz. The Hedge-fparrow, the Water- wag- 
tail, the Titlark, the Yellow-hammer, the Green 
Linnet, or the Whinchat. Of thefe it has been 
obferved that ftie fhews a much greater partiality 
to the Hedge-fparrow than to any of the reft. 
We owe the following account of the economy 
of this fmgular bird in the difpofal of its egg, to 
the accurate obfervations of Mr Edward Jenner, 
communicated to the Royal Society, and publifhed 
in the 78th volume of their tranfa&ions, part II. 
He obferves that, during the time the Hedge-fpar- 
row is laying her eggs, which generally takes up 
four or five days, the Cuckoo contrives to depofit 
her egg among the reft, leaving the future care of 
it entirely to the Hedge-fparrow. This intrufion 
often occafions fome difcompofure, for the old 
Hedge-fparrow at intervals, whilft ftie is fitting, 
not only throws out fome of her own eggs, but 
