1924. Humphreys— -Obscrvatiuns on a Female Cuckoo. 119 



From 'this hawthorn, which commanded a view of the 

 spot where the nest was ultimately located, the Cuckoo 

 attempted to make two glides to the ground but without 

 success. On both occasions, after gliding some 20 yards 

 or so, she flew off in the opposite direction from where 

 we were standing partly hidden by a bush. 



Returning to the same perch the Cuckoo made a third 

 glide which landed her on the ground about 20 yards in 

 advance of the position taken up by us. She proceeded 

 to inspect something in front of her, then turned her 

 head and appeared to look towards us, after which she 

 took wing. There is no doubt that while on the ground, 

 the Cuckoo examined the position of the nest. It is open 

 to question whether she would have gone on to the nest 

 straight away had we not been present. However I 

 decided to change our position to a point further back 

 where we could conceal ourselves behind a hawthorn and 

 at the same time retain a commanding view of both the 

 spot where the nest appeared to be situated and the 

 hawthorn from which the Cuckoo had, to our knowledge, 

 already made three glides without attaining her object. 



In about five minutes time Maloney told me the Cuckoo 

 was again on her gliding off perch, and she at once com- 

 ' menced to glide, alighting on the ground at approximately 

 the same spot, with her tail towards us. B}^ means of 

 a few short hops, three or four at the outside, she moved 

 on to the nest with head lowered and neck stretched 

 forward. Arriving on the nest she erected her tail, 

 exposing the light feathers of the belly ; then by a slight 

 backward and a series of side to side movements we could 

 distinctly see she was gauging her position on the nest. 

 While these movements were going on, the wings were 

 held in a drooping position on each side of the nest. 

 Directly the movements ceased the tail was depressed, 

 and in a very few seconds raised to its normal position, 

 as the Cuckoo backed off, and took wing, leaving from 

 a half right direction. During this time nothing was 

 seen of the Meadow Pipits. 



As soon as the Cuckoo had departed we decided to 

 inspect the nest. In order to do this we had to make 



