The Oologists^ Record^ September i, 1921, 65 



at 9 a.m. We found the Cuckoo's egg at 6 p.m. We continued 

 our search in No. 2 stack of flints, but without result. We saw 

 no more of the Cuckoo after this, but on the i6th July I saw a 

 pair of Wagtails feeding a young Cuckoo. I had been beaten, and 

 they had got this one off somehow, undoubtedly in that second 

 heap of flints — a nest too well concealed for me to find. 



I watched the Wagtails with the young Cuckoo with some pangs 

 of regret, even to the extent of going once more to that second 

 heap of flints to see if I could trace the old nest. I remained beaten, 

 fully convinced of the Wagtail's cunning. I could only hope. All 

 sorts of thoughts flashed through my mind, and I wondered whether 

 I should ever have the pleasure of tracing the young bird which had 

 been successfully reared. Nine weary months seemed a long time 

 before anything could be done, but it came at last. 



On i8th April, 1921, I was about early, 6 a.m., and had the 

 pleasure of seeing seven Cuckoos sitting on the very hurdle gate 

 from which my Cuckoo had spotted her nest the year before. Here 

 w^as a problem, but as the days passed by I proved them to be 

 two females and five males. Here again all sorts of things flashed 

 across my mind. Could the two females be my last year's bird and 

 the young bird I had seen with the Wagtails last year ? Time had 

 to prove again and on 12th May I saw a Cuckoo hanging Wood- 

 pecker fashion on to the steep side of the quarry. With the aid 

 of a ladder I got to the hole, and found a Wagtail's nest with no 

 eggs but apparently ready. This nest had one Wagtail's egg the 

 next day, and on the day after, 14th May, 1921, it contained a 

 Cuckoo's egg, but — it was not by my last year's Cuckoo. All sorts 

 of things again flashed through my mind. During the afternoon of 

 the 14th May I saw a Cuckoo enter a hole under a flint, five or 

 six times. Once she came out tail first. She was in this hole 30 

 seconds at a time. This hole revealed another Wagtail's nest 

 apparently ready for eggs. On 15th May the Wagtail laid her first 

 ^^,'^, and on the i6th this nest had a Cuckoo's ^g^ by the same bird 

 that laid on the 14th. 



Where was my last year's bird ? I was not dismayed as I 

 continually saw the two females in the quarry. On 4th June I 

 happened to be looking round the quarry, and saw a Cuckoo sitting 

 on a stack of rails. I immediately ran to cover, but she flew off. 

 I gave her time to get right away, then went in search of a Wagtail's 

 nest in the vicinity of the stack of rails. Here I discovered a 



