238 A DESCRIPTION OP 
future care of it entirely to the hedge-sparrow. This in- 
trusion often occasions some disorder; for the old hedge- 
sparrow, at intervals, while she is sitting, not only throws 
out some of her own eggs, but sometimes injures them in 
such a way that they become addle, so that it frequently 
happens that not more than two or three of the parent 
bird's eggs are hatched : but, what is very remarkable, 
it has never been observed that she has either thrown out 
or injured the egg of the Cuckoo. When the hedge- 
sparrow has sat her usual time, and has disengaged the 
young Cuckoo, and some of her own offspring from the 
shell, her own young ones and any of her eggs that re- 
mained unhatched are soon turned out : the young Cuckoo 
then remains in full possession of the nest, and is the sole 
object of the future care of the foster parent. The young 
birds are not previously killed, nor are the eggs de- 
molished ; but they are left to perish together, either en- 
tangled in the bush that contains the nest, or lying on 
the ground beneath it. On the 18th June, 1787, Dr. 
Jenner examined a nest of a hedge-sparrow, which then 
contained a Cuckoo's and three hedge-sparrow's eggs. On 
inspecting it the day following, the bird had hatched; but 
the nest then contained only a young Cuckoo and one 
young hedge-sparrow. The nest was placed so near the 
extremity of a hedge, that he could distinctly see what 
was going forward in it ; and, to his great astonishment, 
he saw the young Cuckoo, though so lately hatched, in 
the act of turning out the young hedge-sparrow. The 
mode of accomplishing this was 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 
its burden by elevating its elbows, climbed backward 
with it up the side of the nest, till it reached the top ; 
where, resting for a moment, it threw off its load with a 
jerk, and quite disengaged it from the nest. After re- 
maining a short time in this situation, and feeling about 
