76 :\rr. II. :<loh\c—Forty-fot(r 



miles away. On April 24tli and 25th wc took several ejig^. 

 The very first Magpie's nest which I saw contained seven 

 Cnekoo's eggs and three of the rightful owner : they were 

 in all stages of incubation, from fresh to nearly hatching. 

 Other nests held three Cuckooes and five Magpie's eggs, two 

 and five, four and three, one and one, &c. AVhen the nests 

 were in the open cork-trees they were nearly sure to contain 

 Cuckoos' eggs ; when they were placed in thick bushes, very 

 rarely. The natives say that the reason of this is that the 

 Cuckoo prefers an open tree, in order that she may make 

 off on the return of the owner ; and certainly, whenever we 

 saw a fight (which was pretty often) the Magpie had much 

 the best of it. I expect that the true explanation is that 

 the nests in trees are much more accessible. The only egg 

 which we took from a nest other than that of a Magpie was 

 in that of a Raven built at the top of a very large pine-tree; 

 the nest contained six Raven's eggs and one of the Cuckoo 

 on May 1st, all quite fresh. This was the only egg of the 

 Cuckoo found in that particular district; and as five l)oys 

 living close by were all on the look-out, it is unlikely that 

 there were many others. Curiously enough, Messrs, Selous 

 and Musters found young Ravens and a Cuckoo in the same 

 nest in 1900. 



Strix flammea. 



Fairly common ; nesting in holes in trees, and once found 

 in a Moorish tower, April 26th, six fresh eggs in an old 

 cork-tree; May 7th, four young just hatched. 



Scops giu. 



Not conspicuous ; few seen, but more heard. The Scops is 

 much more nocturnal than the Little Owl, and I never saw 

 one flying in daylight unless disturbed ; moreover, it breeds 

 later. It was not till May 20th that an egg was found, on 

 which the female was sitting; on May 25th and May 27th we 

 obtained two and three which were fresh; in each case the 

 female was on them. My man caught another incubating a 

 single egg, and placed her in a cage, where she laid an egg each 

 day until seven had been deposited, when she was liberated. 



