468 Letters, Announcements, &;c. 



body of the house, also opens on to the same balcony. The 

 sides o£ the corridor and of the balcony, which is a stone one, 

 and reaches down to the ground, are covered with Wistaria, 

 roses, briars, pomegranate, jasmines, and other creepers. 

 In these shelters the following nests were constructed this 

 summer : — two Flycatchers', two Water-Wagtails', a Thrush's, 

 and a Linnet's. I may say that all the nests were within easy 

 reaching distance from one point or another. 



At 3.30 P.M. on the 16th of May I was looking out of the 

 window and perceived a Cuckoo alight upon the bough of a 

 large wych-elm just beyond the terrace. 



The window I was sitting at was a very large plate-glass 

 window, some 8 or 10 feet high, and the Cuckoo seemed to 

 be aware of my presence there. I accordingly withdrew my 

 wheel-chair out of the bird's sight. After the space of about 

 ten minutes the Cuckoo made a slanting swoop, like that of 

 a Hawk, and appeared as if it v/as coming straight into my 

 face. Its course, however, took it about six feet lower, and 

 it went into a Wagtail's nest which was built in a sweet- 

 briar. It is remarkable that, although the Cuckoo remained 

 there for twenty minutes, the Wagtails never made their 

 appearance. The Flycatchers, however, arrived after the 

 Cuckoo had been on the nest about five minutes, and appeared 

 at first to be much agitated, but gradually ceased to trouble 

 themselves about the matter. When the Cuckoo went to the 

 nest two eggs had been laid ; it left the nest much disturbed. 

 The owners of the nest reappeared about an hour afterwards, 

 but they never seemed to take to it again. Four days 

 elapsed, and the Wagtails had clearly deserted their nest. I 

 determined tlien to try an experiment, and to test the 

 accuracy of the statement made by some of our great orni- 

 thological authorities, that the Linnet will bring up the 

 young Cuckoo. By myself this statement has been always 

 received with suspicion, on account of the difference in diet 

 between the Linnet and the Cuckoo. Into the nest, then, of 

 the neighbouring Linnet the Cuckoo's egg was placed. In 

 this nest were five new-laid eggs ; two were removed to give 

 more room. In due time the young Cuckoo was hatched — 



