598 
BIRD-LIFE. 
in a state of pregnancy, she may by this means cause her 
own egg to assume similar markings to those already in 
the nest. Neither of these two suppositions have, as yet, 
been proved to be correct. Naumann believes that he 
has discovered that one female Cuckoo will deposit eggs 
in the nests of different species, which, if true, quite 
upsets one of the above theories. Sometimes two 
Cuckoo’s eggs are found in one nest; these are probably 
laid by two different birds. Be this, however, as it may, 
there is no doubt on one point, and that is that the little 
foundling is deposited in the nest of the foster-parents by 
its unnatural mother in a most cunning and under-hand 
manner. Our readers will labour under a great mistake 
if they for a moment suppose that the young intruder is 
in any way regarded as a blessing by its foster-parents; 
on the contrary, they show great anxiety and sorrow if 
they happen to detect the hen Cuckoo at her manoeuvring 
work. Many of those small birds, whose nests the Cuckoo 
makes use of, mob that bird most fiercely, treating it as 
a bird of prey, and demonstrating in the most marked 
manner possible their violent hatred. On this account 
the Cuckoo always selects a nest where the entire com¬ 
plement of eggs have not all been laid, so that she can 
take advantage of the temporary absence of the parent 
birds. She glides to and from the nest with the caution 
of a footpad, and rejoices over her success, if she be 
able to accomplish her end without being observed by the 
pair she has so cruelly wronged, and thus escape the 
mobbing she so richly deserves. In the act of depositing 
her own egg the Cuckoo often breaks one of the others, 
or perhaps sucks it, though possibly the egg is more 
often smashed. Usually the rightful owners of the nest 
lay other eggs after the introduction of the stranger, and 
then commences the work of incubation. On very rare 
