64 The Oologists' Record, September i, .1921. 



2 acres, being 35 feet deep. There are various water springs all 

 the year round in addition to which the quarry receives the water 

 from the local marshes. This water has to be pumped out daily 

 before the men can get into the quarry from which the chalk is 

 taken for the manufacture of Portland cement. The conditions 

 make an ideal habitat for such a bird as the Pied Wagtail, water 

 life and aquatic vegetation being in abundance. In the early part 

 of May, 1920, 1 noticed a Cuckoo one morning apparently searching 

 the sides of the quarry with the two pairs of Wagtails in hot pur- 

 suit, and I consequently resolved to make a thorough search for 

 their nests. I could find nothing, but continued my search daily as 

 the Cuckoo was still hanging about at intervals. However, there 

 was no trace of Wagtails' nests, so I got my friend Hollands, who 

 had more time at his disposal, to watch proceedings. It was several 

 days after when he came to me and said he had found a nest, but 

 he could not get at it as it was so far under the chalk. I accordingly 

 went to the spot, groped a way into the entrance of the hole, and 

 found a Wagtail's nest with three eggs and a sHghtly incubated 

 Cuckoo's egg. We thoroughly searched the remainder of the 

 quarry, but could find nothing. Further watchings did not assist 

 us, but I was certain from the movements of the Cuckoo that she 

 must be on egg-laying business. As the time went on we con- 

 tinued our searches, and it was not before several days had elapsed 

 that Hohands found another Wagtail's nest with three eggs and 

 another incubated egg of the Cuckoo. The female Cuckoo put in 

 an appearance frequently onwards, often accompanied by two males, 

 and it was getting well into the season. One evening I saw the 

 hen Cuckoo come over and sit on a hurdle gate on the top of the 

 quarry, where she could get a good view of the neighbourhood. 

 Six or seven times she flew to two different stacks of large flint 

 stones, which she examined very thoroughly, going in and out of 

 several of the recesses between the stones. I remained obscured 

 until she finally left the locality, when I went to examine the two 

 stacks of flints. In one stack I found a Wagtail's nest with three 

 eggs very artfully concealed, but the second stack of flints where 

 the Cuckoo had also been, revealed me nothing, although I was 

 certain it contained a nest. The Wagtail's nest in the first heap 

 got the Cuckoo's egg the next day, one Wagtail's egg disappearing, 

 as when the Cuckoo's egg was found the Wagtail's nest only con- 

 tained the three eggs, and there were four in the nest that morning 



