THE CUCKOO. 
599 
occasions they will turn the Cuckoo’s egg out of the nest, 
though usually they do not entertain the slightest suspi¬ 
cion on the subject, and pursue the business of sitting 
without further ado. 
Up to the present no one has ever been able to give 
any explanation of the why and wherefore of this singular 
habit of the Cuckoo, namely, that of depositing her brood 
with strangers. It has been supposed that the Cuckoo 
lays, at the most, eight eggs every spring, and on account 
of their being deposited at great intervals she would be 
unable to hatch and rear them herself. This adds another 
question to the riddle,—why does she lay her eggs at 
such long intervals of time ? This also remains unex¬ 
plained ! Every possible theory advanced on these points 
is replete with interest, at least in our eyes. The small 
size of the Cuckoo’s eggs is very remarkable. This large 
bird lays an egg, which at the most only measures twelve 
lines in length, an egg which rarely exceeds in size that 
of the House Sparrow! Besides which, the eggs vary 
as much in size and shape, as in colouring, though 
amid all these variations of colour, the experienced 
eye can distinguish them by the peculiar scribbling 
marks they possess, or by their shape, spots, &c.; the 
impression these give is difficult to express in words. # 
The shell is always very thin, fragile, smooth, and but 
slightly shining. The first eggs are laid in May, the last 
often as late as July, so that they may be deposited 
amongst the first or the second brood of other birds. 
There are but very few birds which, like the Common 
Cuckoo, leave their progeny to the care of strangers; and 
amongst our European Avifauna only one other species, 
the Great Spotted Cuckoo (Coccystes glandarius). This 
bird is an inhabitant of Spain, and has been known to 
occur also in Germany : it does not, however, deposit its 
