252 
CUCULID.E. 
of the grasshopper warbler. The egg has been found 
also in the nests of some of the larger species,—the 
thrush, the blackbird, and the red-backed shrike. The 
Cuckoo seems, however, instinctively to prefer those, the 
eggs of which most nearly resemble its own. Amongst 
these are the larks, pipits, and the pied wagtail, to the 
eggs of which some light varieties of those of the Cuckoo 
bear considerable resemblance. It most frequently, how¬ 
ever, makes choice of the nest of the titlark, which is 
common on those open heaths, the favorite resort of both. 
The egg, which is remarkable for its small size, is thus, 
together with its colour, admirably fitted for the decep¬ 
tion which it is intended to practise. Though very simi¬ 
lar in some instances to those of the skylark, there is a 
character about it peculiar to itself, by which it may be 
readily known. It is oval, and wider in proportion to 
its length; it is also usually marked with minute black 
dots. As I have stated above, there are light-coloured 
varieties, a good deal like the eggs of the pied wagtail. 
I 
