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each time the Pipit got jauibed near the top. The other 

 Cuckoo was then returned and the struggle re-com- 

 menced, sometimes the birds put their beaks aud heads 

 against the opposite side of the nest to get more 

 purchase, before climbing. vSeveral times the top bird 

 tumbled over the other's head, probably intentionally. 



" On June lotli one Cuckoo was found out of the nest 

 and, on being returned, was at once thrown out by tlie 

 other ; it was then returned, and the strong one removed 

 for an hour to give the weak one time to recover. When 

 the stronger bird was put back, the weaker one made 

 several unsuccessful attempts to throw it out, and then 

 got over on one side, endeavouring to keep the stronger 

 bird from getting under it, and held on with its claws to 

 the side of the nest. The nest was then bolstered up, to 

 give the weak bird a chance to recover. On June nth, 

 the weak one had disappeared altogether. 



" The Pipits paid no attention to the young Cuckoo, 

 when outside the nest, even when it was sitting on the 

 edge of it. Mr. Craig then put a young Yellow Bunting 

 in beside the young Cuckoo, but it was promptly thrown 

 out. 



"Mr, Craig found another Cuckoo's egg in a nest con- 

 taining four Meadow Pipit's eggs, and this time the 

 young Cuckoo threw out all the Pipit's eggs before it 

 was 24 hours old." 



Whilst on the subject of Cuckoos, it has struck me 

 as strange that the Koal, or Brain-fever Bird, of India, 

 should lay in the House Crow's nest in India, and in the 

 nest of the Mynah (the young of which are black) in one 

 of the Islands of the Indian Archipelago. It looks as if 

 it were doubtful whether the fact of the young of both 

 sexes being black (the hen turning brown on arriving at 

 maturity and the cock remaining black) were the cause 

 of its preference for the nests of black birds, or whether 

 instinct was the cause of its differing from most other 

 birds by the young of both sexes taking after the cock 

 in plumage. Chas. Cushny. 



