118 Transactions. — Zoology. 



with one taken in 1885 by Mr. W. Smith (of Oamaru, now of 

 Ashburton) from the nest of Gerygo7ie Jiaviventris{20). It was 

 almost spherical in shape, with a slightly rough or granulate sur- 

 face, of a pale-buff or yellowish-bi'own colour; length 1-25 in., 

 breadth 1-15 in. A third egg somewhat similar in appearance 

 was found by Mr. Smith in 1888 in the nest of the Wood 

 robin (Myiovioira albifrons), and, being allowed to hatch out, 

 proved conclusively to belong to the Long-tailed Cuckoo(20). 

 As this is the only case on record of the discovery of the egg 

 and its subsequent proof of identity by successful incubation 

 I shortly refer to it. He found the Robin's nest with four 

 eggs, and next day the egg of the Cuckoo among the rest. 

 When the eggs hatched the young Cuckoo was of enor- 

 mous size compared with his mates, and w^as a very 

 helpless creature, with the skin almost entirely naked and 

 the eyes closed. It throve well, being kept supplied 

 with food by the Robins, and grew rapidly, and was 

 soon too large for the nest, and had to lie on top of the 

 young Robins, which appeared instinctively to crouch at the 

 bottom of the nest for self-preservation, for if the young 

 Cuckoo could have displaced them he could have occupied 

 the whole of the cavity of the nest. Finally Mr. Smith 

 removed two of the young Robins in order to make room for 

 the increasing size of the Cuckoo. The remaining Robin did 

 well, being soon nearly ready to fly. Unfortunately, Mr. 

 Smith did not describe the egg further than to say that " it 

 was almost round in shape, and of a deeper shade of colour than 

 the specimen in the Canterbury Museum." In BuUer's book 

 there also appears from the pen of Mr. Smith a graphic 

 account of the hatching of the egg of the Bronze Cuckoo 

 by Gerygone Jiaviventris, and it seems from this that the 

 young intruder was practically fledged and ready to fly in 

 about ten days, and in a fortnight voluntarily quitted its 

 home, which it is, however, right to mention had been placed 

 on the ground. It had accomplished this remarkable de- 

 velopment by appropriating all food which came to the nest, 

 and had doomed its unfortunate companions to a cruel death 

 by starvation (21). No doubt the Shining Cuckoo chooses the 

 domed nest of the Warbler because this is large enough for 

 the young bird until it is nearly fledged and ready to fly, and 

 the young bird can escape from the nest without fear of injury 

 by falling. The Long-tailed Cuckoo, on the other hand, 

 would seldom select this nest for its young, as the bird, owing 

 to its size, would have to leave long before it could fly, and 

 might easily be seriously injured, at that tender age, by falling 

 from tlie height at which these nests are built. For this 

 reason the parent Cuckoo has, tiu'ough myriads of generations, 

 probably come to deposit her egg in an open nest close to the 



