602 
BIRD-LIFE. 
hungry tones, to the best of its ability. This extraordinary 
care is vouchsafed by the foster-parents after the young 
Cuckoo has left the nest, and lasts until the bird can look 
after and feed itself; it very rarely happens that it is 
abandoned by its foster-parents. “In June, 1812/’ says 
my father, “ a Wren’s nest was found on the manor of 
Frohlichen-wiederlmnft, which contained, at one and the 
same time, two young Wrens and a young Cuckoo,—quite 
an exceptional case; the dome of the nest had preserved 
the young Wrens from being summarily ejected. A 
friend of mine took the Cuckoo as soon as it was almost 
ready to fly, and, as is often done by bird-fanciers, placed 
it in a cage, intending to bring it to me as soon as it was 
thoroughly fledged. The foster-parents in this case, how¬ 
ever, abandoned the foundling, and in a couple of days it 
was found starved to death; the Wrens having taken up 
their abode elsewhere, with their own nestlings, had not 
been able to feed both their own young and the Cuckoo.” 
Such a case of hard-heartedness is, however, very 
unusual indeed. As a rule the young Cuckoo is well 
cared for by its foster-parents until able to feed itself. 
After this it wanders about in the neighbourhood of 
its old home until August, when it prepares for its 
migratory flight. 
I have met with the migrating Cuckoo in Egypt in the 
early days of the month of August; the first arrivals, 
however, were all old birds, the young ones putting in an 
appearance somewhat later. All Cuckoos exhibit the 
same hurry and restlessness, for which they are so 
remarkable ; even while migrating, they ever continue 
advancing, threading the mighty primaeval forests of the 
interior, between 16° and 12°, without stopping anywhere 
permanently. Where they really go to, still remains a 
mystery. 
