C!Q c u c k a w.
Female.
Y oung.
M anners.
others marked with white (pots on each fide their (hafts: the legs
are fhort, and yellow.
The female differs fomewhat: the neck, both before and behind,
is of a brownifh fed: the tail barred with this laft colour, and
black 5 and fpotted on each fide the lhaft with white.
The young birds are brown, mixed with ferruginous and black;
and inthatftate have been defcribed, by fome authors, as old ones.
To this account, taken from the Britijh Zoology, I cannot "add
any thing material.
It is on all hands allowed, that the Cuckow does not hatch its
own eggs : the reafon of this does not appear manifeft ; pofiibly
it may be occafioned by the great fize and length of the Jlomach,
which protrudes far beyond the fternum, that part being, fo very
fhort, as not to be fufficient to take off the preffure in incubltion,
whereby digeftion may be impeded.— This circumffance has not
failed to ftrike me on diffeftion.
This bird isfuppofed moft frequently to lay only one,'or atmoff
not more than two eggs; it is generally believed only one, but
the pofiibility of laying two muff appear manifeft, from two eggs
having been found, nearly ready for laying, in the ovary of a female
of one of thefe; and an inftance has. not been wanting, where two
eggs have been laid in one neft*. The egg is bigger than that
of a Nightingale, and longer in proportion : of a greyifh white,
marked with fome fpots of dull, and others of a darker violet
brown. A Water-wagtail, Yellow-hammer, or Hedge-fparrow, is
generally the nurfe of the young Cuckow : but Buffon enumerates
twenty forts of nefts, at lead *, in which they have depofited
their eggs. It may be fuppofed, that the female Cuckow lays.
Hi/!, iu oif. vi. p. 324. t Br. Zeal, vol. i. p. 234.
her
m w
c U C K o W.
her eggs in the abfence o f the bird, in whofe neft fhe intends to
depofit; as it has been, known, that on fight of one o (thefe, a Red-
breaft, and its mate, jointly attacked it, on its approaching the
neft, putting her to flight; and fo effedhially drove her away, as
not to dare to return f . Several experiments have been made, to
afcertain whether the Cuckow deftroys, or eats, the eggs which
fhe finds in the neft in which file depofits her own; the refult
proved the contrary ; for a Cuckow’s egg-has been often found
along with others, which truly belonged to the neft; on all of which
the bird has fa t; and, in this cafe, if the number of eggs proves
•too much for this little nurfe to brood conveniently, (he frequently
deftroys one after another; and not only her own, but
fometimes even thcparafiti egg alfo, if the whim takes her; and,
on the contrary, the bird often proves a mother and ftep-mother
at the fame time by bringing into life the whole brood.
It is fuppofed, that there are more wa/e Cuckows than females ;
fince two are often feen in difpute, where a third -has been in fight;
.which, ®o doubt, was of the oppofite fex. Mr. Pennant obferved]
that five male birds were caught in a trap in one feafon; and I can
fay myfelf, that out of at lead half a dozen, that I have attended
to, my.chance has never directed me to a female ||. As to the external
marks, they have been noticed above; and it-is to be wifhed,
that future obfervers may determine, whether our obfervations
have rife only, in chance,-or .are founded on the general circum-
itance. The young birds are obferved to be helplefs and foolifh
tor a great length of time, but may be, and often are, brought up
II u r 1 , *r - njra + m j i . «wwy.vi .pp. ? 2C. 200.
a 1 beheve 'hat the maU birds “ * »0« * • * to be (hoc, then note direJino-
toe gunneiyvhere to take aim; while thefemale is fecured by her filence. *
tame,