120 The Irish Naturalist. November. 



a detour to negotiate the deep ditch. On inspection the 

 nest was found to contain a Cuckoo's tgg only. Maloney, 

 who could not resist the temptation to take it up, at once 

 remarked that it was quite warm, which I said could only 

 be expected as the Cuckoo had just laid it as we had seen. 



The nest was a typical Meadow Pipit's, placed on 

 the ground on a small grassy bank facing the position 

 taken up by us w^hile watching the Cuckoo. The grass 

 immediately around the nest was of sufficient length to 

 completely hide it from view in the ordinary way, but 

 the Cuckoo in going on had so parted the grass as to leave 

 the nest exposed. 



I did not like to search for and inspect the nest before 

 the Cuckoo had laid, having considered that by doing so 

 we should disturb her too much. The fact that at that 

 time we did not know the exact position of the nest, and 

 the deep ditch had to be negotiated increased the risk. 

 It is, however, probable that the Cuckoo took the one 

 and only Pipit's egg out of the nest as she went on. As 

 already mentioned, her head was lowered as she went on 

 to the nest. I regret to say I had left my binoculars at 

 home, and the distance, about 40 yards, from which these 

 observations were carried out, was too great to enable us 

 to see with the naked eye if the Cuckoo picked up an egg \ 

 in her bill or carried one away. 



The hour at which the Cuckoo made the last and 

 successful glide was 7.2 p.m. (B.S.T.). The time b}- the 

 sun would be approximately 5.35 p.m. From the moment 

 she alighted on the ground to the time she left the nest 

 we recorded 40 seconds. 



As previous experience went to shew that there w^as 

 considerable risk of the nest being destroyed by boys I 

 decided to take the egg. Before doing so a search was 

 made for a substitute*; the only one procurable was the 

 egg of a Common Wren {Troglodytes t. troglodytes), and this 

 was placed in the nest simultaneously with the withdrawal 

 of the Cuckoo's egg, the grass being re-arranged in its 

 original position. On inspecting the nest two days later 

 we found it still contained the single egg, clearly shewing 

 that it had been deserted by the Meadow Pipits. 



