°907^ ] Campbki.l,, Observations on the Rearing of a Cuckoo. 121 



their eggs or their nesth'ngs have fallen a prey to the ubiquitous 

 boy or a marauding cat. However, last year, in September, 

 they were noticed feeding a young Cuckoo, apparently the off- 

 spring of a pair of Fan-tailed Cuckoos which about a month 

 earlier attracted marked attention by their trilling notes in 

 welcome of the oncoming spring. This year I determined to keep 

 a look-out for a similar procedure, and I was not disappointed. 

 The nest of the foster-bird was built about 3 feet from the 

 ground in a tussock of pampas grass, and when first discovered 

 contained eggs far advanced in incubation. Two eggs belonged 

 to the Sericornis^ and the third was an q^^ of the Fan-tailed 

 Cuckoo. The latter was purple-spotted, with a zone round the 

 larger end, and except for its slightly larger size very closely 

 resembled the other eggs in the nest. 



Being in such a convenient spot, the nest was kept under 

 observation. The Cuckoo's egg hatched on the 24th, and those 

 of the foster-parents on the 25th September. All the egg-shells 

 were either carried away or eaten by the Scrub-Wrens, as no 

 part of them could be found inside the nest or on the ground in 

 front. 



The young Cuckoo on the first day was flesh-coloured and 

 quite naked, but it became much darker the day following. 

 When the Scrub-Wrens hatched, although they were partly 

 covered with long tufts of down,* I was surprised to notice 

 how like in appearance was the Cuckoo hatched before them. 



On the 26th, or when the Cuckoo could not have been more than 

 48 hours old, the ejection of its companion nestlings took place. 

 I regret I did not see the actual operations. When I arrived at 

 noon one young Scrub-Wren was not to be found and the other 

 was lying on the platform just outside the entrance of the nest ; 

 its strugglings would soon have caused it to fall to the ground. 

 From its distended abdomen it was evident it had been well fed 

 by its parents while in the nest. Its weight was 35 grains. 

 The other young Scrub-Wren may have been lying in such a 

 position as this and been carried away by the parent bird, for it 

 could not be discovered anywhere on the ground beneath the nest. 

 The young Cuckoo had grown considerably, and weighed about 

 1 30 grains — nearly four times as much as its last victim. Its bare 

 skin had now become a deep purplish-indigo colour, and the 

 extraordinary development of its fore limbs and its " pope's 

 nose" was very noticeable. Though it moved about actively 

 when the nest was touched, and opened its mouth, showing its 

 wide yellowish gape, yet it showed no objection to the company 



* The down on the young Sericornes was half an inch in length, dark grey in 

 colour, and distributed in the following manner :— Tufts on each brow, on the back 

 of the head, on the shoulder, and on the top of each forearm ; a line down the back, 

 and a smaller line on each side of the abdomen, extending in curve round to the back 

 of the thigh. 



