^\ nbi'ictd loii (if I hi' (iciiH.s ( 'liivsococcvx. 37 



Modder River, in the Bloemfontein District of the O.R.C., 

 with one egg of C. cupreus [vide ' Ibis/ 1901, p. 28, Ivy). Tliis 

 tiny nest contained the two eggs of the Tit-Bahhler and one 

 much larger pure white egg which was, ahnost witliout doubt, 

 that of the Didric, as one of these birds insisted on returning 

 to the tree in which the nest was situated. The larger egg 

 can be distinctly seen protruding from the nest in the 

 ])hotograph (Plate II. fig. 1). In March H)0;5, five young 

 C. cupreus were taken from Sparrows^ nests, and over 100 

 eggs were examined, but none differed from the ordinary 

 Sparrow egg. On November 17th, 1903, near the ford of 

 the Johiinesburg-Pretoria road, a colony of Masked Weaver- 

 Birds (IlyplLaiitornis velatus mari(juetisis) were found breeding 

 in a tree overhanging the Yokeskei River. In three of the 

 nests one egg was found entirely difi'erent from the others in 

 the same nest. These eggs were precisely similar to each 

 other in size, shape^ and markings, being of a dull greenish 

 blue spotted with brownish, and were distinctly smaller than 

 the eggs of the Weaver, and also slightly different in shape, 

 being more attenuated. One of the eggs was in a nest with 

 the typical " blue-spotted with brown," velatus variety, 

 another with white, and the last with " pink-spotted " eggs. 

 There seems little doubt that these eggs were those of 

 C. cupreus, as these Cuckoos were extremely common all along 

 the river, and one actually flew away from the nests as the 

 tree was approached. On 29th November of the same year, 

 at Modderfontein Dynamite Factory, a pui'e white egg was 

 discovered in the nest of a Cape Wagtail (JJotucilla capeusis). 

 The nest was situated on the top of a willow stump, and 

 contained, besid<'s the wliite egg, three typical Wagtail's eggs. 

 A pair of C. cupveus were very much in evidence in the 

 neiglil)ourhood of the nest, making the woods resound with 

 tlieir noisv, plaintive calls. In order to absolutely prove the 

 identitv of the egg, it was left in the nest to hatch out. On 

 visiting" the nest several days later one young bird was found 

 in it, which could easily be told as a Cuckoo by its beak and 

 zvgodactvle feet. The eggs of the rightful owners of the 

 nest had disapi'carcd and had no doubt been I'jected. The 



