VOL. ix.l NOTES. 49 



this way, on dates ranging from January to the end of 

 June. This habit does not appear to me to be particularly 

 unusual with the two latter species, especially during the 

 breeding-season. On May 7th, 1915, I observed a Song- 

 Thrush flying from tree to tree, singing as it flew, and it ended 

 by flying down on to the lawn, where it sang for several 

 moments. I have also a record of a Robin, and a Common 

 Wren, singing while on the wing. It would appear that this 

 habit is not as rare as might be supposed among species which 

 habitually sing from a perch. M. L. Kleinwort. 



CUCKOOS METHOD OF DEPOSITING EGG. 

 On May 19th, 1915, I visited an old friend of mine in Norfolk. 

 He leads a very secluded life but is a keen observer of natural 

 history and a man whose word one can trust implicitly. 

 There are some old ruins just outside his dining-room window 

 in which Wagtails, etc., often make their nests. He told 

 me he had twice seen a Cuckoo {Cucuhis c. canorvs) lay her 

 egg on the grass, take it in its beak and deposit it in a Wagtail's 

 nest. He stated he had seen the performance so distinctly, 

 just oiitside the window, that there was no doubt about it. 

 This evidence should settle the question of how the egg gets 

 into the nest. H. M. Upcher. 



[Similar positive evidence as to the deposition of the egg 

 by means of the bill has already been recorded by J. B. Bailly 

 {Ornithologie de la Savoie, I., p. 387), A. Malcolm Yeats 

 {Fit Id, 1895, p. 929) and Capt. S. G. Reid (cf. Ibis 1915, 

 p. 367). The fact that eggs have been found in the nests 

 of such species as Goldcrest, Starling, Great- and Blue-Tit, 

 Willow-Warbler, Wood-Warbler, Chiffchaff, Wheatear, Stone- 

 chat, etc., is also extremely strong confirmation of this. On 

 the other hand, there is evidence that occasionally the Cuckoo 

 lays while sitting on the nest. Mr. J. H. Owen surprised a 

 Cuckoo sitting on an empty Blackbird's nest. Naumann also 

 saw an egg laid by a Cuckoo while sitting on a Reed- Warbler's 

 nest. See also Field, 1897, p. 927.— F.C.R.J.] 



LONG-EARED OWL NESTING IN ESSEX, 

 Records of the nesting of the Long-eared Owl (Asio o. 

 otus) in Essex are so scarce that the finding of a nest with 

 eggs in it may be of some interest. This nest was found 

 by myself and two boys on May 1st, 1915, at Felsted. It 

 contained two very small eggs, one obviously infertile and 

 the other highly incubated, but not looking right and too 

 light in weight. The bird was sitting then and up to May 3rd. 

 We again visited the nest on May 6th and found it deserted. 



