"
"Why is it called the cuckoo?"
"Because the male bird utters a call-note which sounds just like the
word _kuk-oo_. In almost every language, this sound has suggested the
name of the bird. In Greek, it is _kokkux_; in Latin, _coccyx_; in
French, _coucou_; in German, _kukuk_."
"What does the bird feed on?" asked Arthur.
"It feeds on soft insects, hairy caterpillars, and tender fruits."
"Where does it build its nest?"
"The cuckoo, I am sorry to say, is not a very honest bird. Instead of
taking the trouble to build a nest for herself, the female bird lays her
eggs in the nest of other birds, and to them commits the care of
hatching and rearing her offspring."
"I should not call that acting like a good parent," said Arthur. "Do the
other birds take care of these young ones that are not their own?"
"Oh, yes! they not only take care of them and feed them for weeks, but
sometimes they even let the greedy young cuckoos push their own children
out of the nest."
"That's a hard case," said Arthur. "Is there any American bird that acts
like the cuckoo?"
[Illustration: The Cuckoo]
"Oh, yes!" said Uncle Oscar. "There is a little bird called the
'cow-bunting,' about as large as a canary-bird: she, too, makes other
birds hatch her young and take care of them.
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