oF Belk BS «OS 
eut. In this He it feems ever- ‘elites and uneafy. 
“But this difpofition for turning out its com- 
panions begins to decline from the time it is two 
or three till it is about twelve days old, when ie. 
ceafes. Its fhape is well adapted for thefe pur- 
pofes ; for, different from other newly-hatched — 
birds, its back is very broad, with a confiderable 
_ depreffion in the middle. This hollow feems 
formed by nature for the defign of giving a more _ 
fecure lodgement to the egg of the hedge-{parrow, 
or its young one, when the young Cuckoo is 
employed in throwing either of them out of the © 
neft. When it is about twelve days old this 
_ hollow is quite filled up, and then the back af- 
furmes the {hape of neftling birds in general. 
_ June 27, 1787. Two Cuckoos and a hedge- 
Sparrow were hatched in the fame neft this morn- 
Ing; one hedge- fparrow’s egg remained un= 
hatched. In a few hours after, a conteft began 
between the Cuckoos for the pofleffion of the neft, 
which continued undetermined till the next after- 
noon; when one of them, which was fomewhat 
fuperior i In fize, turned out the other, together 
with the young hedge-fparrow and the unhatched 
eg. This conteft was very remarkable. The 
combatants alternately appeared to have the ad- 
vantage, as each carried the other feveral times 
nearly to the top of the neft, and then funk down 
“i Ag aN, 
