BRITISH BIRDS. I09 
each carried the other feveral times nearly to the 
top of the neft, and then funk down again oppref- 
fed with the weight of its burthen : till at length* 
after various efforts, the flrongefl prevailed, and 
was afterwards brought up by the Hedge-fparrow. 
It would carry us beyond the limits of our work to 
give a detail of the obfervations made by our in- 
genious inquirer ; we mull therefore refer our read- 
er to the work itfelf, in which he will find a vari- 
ety of matter entirely new refpe&ing this fingular 
bird, whofe hiftory has for ages been enveloped in 
fable, and mixed with unaccountable llories found- 
ed in ignorance and fuperllition. At what period 
the young Cuckoos leave this country is not pre- 
cifely known ; Mr Jenner fuppofes they go off in 
fucceflion, and leave us as foon as they are capable 
of taking care of themfelves. That fome of them 
remain here in a torpid Hate we have already had 
occafion to obferve but this cannot be the cafe 
with the greater part of thofe which leave this coun- 
try and retire to milder climates, to avoid the ri- 
gours of winter. Bulfon mentions feveral inflances 
of young Cuckoos having been kept in cages, which, 
probably for want of proper nutriment, did not fur- 
vive the winter. We knew of one which was prefer- 
ved through the winter by being fed with worms, 
infe&s, foaked bread, and fmall pieces of flelh. The 
plumage of the Cuckoo varies greatly at different 
* See the introduflion. 
