New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-05-15
THE TUE STORY or rHE cUcKoo.


IrOfl The Q7'reH.
Our correspondent. whose interesting comuunica-
ton on cuckoo lore APP cared Last week. I- 40 fault
IN stating that the young cuckoo turns ont lis ltl-
low-nc.tllngs from q love Of supremacy. ana U'i
the Young birds expelled are smaller Than usril.
Being usually hatohcd before the cuckoo they are
generally aS shown 900 our sketch, of equal ne. anu
rather larger than the intruder ana their rNwl
sion is necessary for las due uouusiun'ut los the
miniature foster parent. 20 fact when, - sometimes
happens two cuckoos are hatch"d in one nest. they
cndrovor each To- cypcl the other: and 900 one ca-'
observed 10y Herr Adolph Muller aud described in
der Z,OlOfsche Gdrc for October l~6N. the smaller
succeeded 300 polling the larger l'ut wc viii jet
Mrs Blackburn relate her own account OF what
Thc nest (which we watched last juno. after find
ing the cuckoo's egg Iu n Was that oi the common
meadow -pipu utl1rk mpSchocpcr'. and had two
pipits eggs beside that of the cuckoo II was below
a heather bush. on tine dcclyity of low abrupt
bauk on a Highland hillside IN Mo'!art
AT one visit the plplts were found tn hc Matched,
but not thc cuckoo. A. thc next visit. which WIS
after an interval Of fouy-cght hours. We found the
young cuckoo alone n the nest, and both the young
pipits lying down thc hank. about ten inches from
The margin Of the nest but quite lively after being
warmed M the hand. They were rcul1ccd On the
nest Lc.Jc the cuckoo " hich struggled alout 90
10 got IT. back under one of them. Whcn % climbed
backward directly up the open side Of the nest, and
htchcd the pipit from ite back on 10 the edge. II
then stood quite upright on Its legs, which were
Straddcd wide apart with the claws firmly fixed
half way down the inside of the nest among the
intcrlacing thrcs of which the nest was woven
and stretching ITS wings apart and backward. ~
cbowcd the pipt fairly over the margin so far that
IT, struggles took It down the bank instead Of back
INTO The nest.
ANrr this the cucSoo stood minute or two feel
inp back with It's wings as n 10 make sure that the
mint was fairly overheard, and then subsidized into
The bottom Of the nest
ASH was getting late. and the cuckoo did not inn
mediatelv set 10 work ON the other nesting re-
piaced the erected one and went home ON return
inc next dav both uestlinrs were found dead and
cold ont Of the nest. ! replaced one Of them, but
the cuckoo made cl0rt 20 get under and eject o.,
lut settled itself concutcdy On the top of %. All
this find accord- accurately with Jcuucr- dc-crIp-
ION II what hc saw. But what struck me most was
this: the cuckoo was perfectly naked, without a
vcstiCc Of "a feather or even a hint of future
feathers It's eyes were not yet opened. and it, neck
seemed too weak ~ support the weight OF It's head.
The ppts had well developed quilts on the wings
and back and had bright eyes partially open yet
they seemed quite helpless under the nanipulatlous
of The cuckoo, which looked much lcss developed
creature. Tho cuckOO's legs. however, seemed very
muscular and II appeared 10 feel about with its
wings which were absolutely icath"rlcss AS with
hands the spurious wing unusually large m
proportionl looking like spread-out thumb The
most singular thing of all was the direct purpose
with which the blind little monster made for the
open side Of the nest the only part where II could
throw It's hurthcn down the bank. think all the
spectators felt the sort of horror and awe az the APP
parent nadequacy of the creatures Intelligence ~
lie acts that might have felt at seeing tooth
less bag raise a ghost by an incarnation. Ii was
horribly uncanny" and grewsomc."