206 



even advanced cases of consumption rapidly improve, 

 and in many cases recover completelv. For the benefit 

 of tender-hearted (that is of all) aviculturists I may state 

 that the constant exposure is not disagreeable : patients 

 very soon learn to enjoy it, they never " catch cold." 



On the other hand, I ma}' point out that the 

 conditions which obtain in bird- dealers shops appear to 

 have been specially designed for the propagation of 

 consumption : overcrowding, warmth, and want of 

 cleanliness are the conditions most favourable to the 

 spread of the tubercle bacillus, and are found to per- 

 fection, at least in some shops with which I am 

 acquainted. C. S. Simpson. 



THE CUCKOO. 



Sir, — Your readers may be interested in the 

 following account of observations of the habits of the 

 Cuckoo, from last week's " Fishing Gazette." 



" On June 2nd, 1899, Mr. Craig found a Meadow 

 Pipit's nest with two Cuckoo's eggs and three Meadow 

 Pipit's eggs in it. Mr. Craig thinks the Cuckoos eggs 

 must have been laid by different birds, as they differed in 

 colour, size, and shape. He broke one of the Pipit's 

 eggs to ascertain how far incubation had advanced, so as 

 to determine when to resume his observations. By June 

 8th both Cuckoos were hatched, and one Pipit's egg was 

 found lying outside the nest, and the other was missing — 

 Mr. Craig thinks the Cuckoos had thrown it out and the 

 parents had carried it away. 



" At first the two young Cuckoos got on all right, but 

 soon the stronger got the weaker one on its back and 

 tried its hardest to throw it out, the other clinging to the 

 nest with its claws. After a bit they both became exhaus- 

 ted but presently they renewed the struggle, and on 

 revisiting the nest on June 9th one of the Cookoos was 

 found out of the nest. Before returning it he put in a 

 young Pipit, and the young Cuckoo repeatedly got it on 

 its back and backed with it to the side of the nest, but 



