A Cuckoo Episode. 141 



In these same gardens is to be seen, among' other animals, 

 that curious am])hibian, the manatee or " sea-cow " — not cooped 

 UP in a cage but swimming about in the miles of canals and ponds 

 that supply the Gardens. Come any morning about 7-30 and 

 ask a keeper " where the manatees are feeding." 



(To be continued.) 



A Cuchoo Episode. 



By Capt. J. S. Reeve, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. 



The following may be of interest to our readers : 



A Pied Wagtail Ijuilt as usual on the house here (Lincoln), 

 close to my aviaries, but the nest was destroyed and they built 

 ag;ain. During this period, on May i8th a Cuckoo was seen 

 to alight on the creepers close to the nest ; on 24th there was 

 one Wagtail's egg; on 25th a pair of Cuckoos were in the 

 garden, both " cuckooing." and one also making the " water- 

 l)ubbling " sound; one of these was seen to fly to tne house, 

 but, unfortunately, was not watched! On 27th, at i p.m., i 

 examined the nest and found two Wagtail's eggs and one 

 Cuckoo's, tnis latter being of a rotund shape with markings 

 of a greenish hue. A friend arriving that afternoon, who was 

 interested in birds, at 9 p.m. I showed them to him. I examined 

 the nest next day at i p.m., when lo and behold! the Cuckoo's 

 tgg was gone, the nest quite undisturbed, and a third Wagtail's 

 egg" in it ! (Jn 29th there were four Wagtail's eggs, and the 

 bird duly commenced to sit on them. What happened to the 

 Cuckoo's ei^'f^''! Is it possible that the Cuckoo saw me twice 

 go to the nest on 27th, and removed the &gg'^ I searched the 

 wh.ole garden over and found several other nests — Linnet's. 

 inrush's. Flycatcher's, and a Lesser White-throat's, but no 

 Cuckoo's egg, and I know of no other pair of Wagtails near at 

 hand. I have since been told of the case of a Cuckoo laying 

 in a nest in an open greenhouse, and of her being found there 

 in the greenhouse a day or two afterwards. It is, I believe, on 

 record by Dr. Chance and others that the Cuckoo has been 



