54 C C. NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



The colour of the Cuckoo's egg varies very much. The one I found 

 in a Meadow Pipit's nest most closely resembled the eggs it was 

 among. I found one in a Linnett's nest whose markings were not of 

 the usual red-brown colour, but grey-brown, and very like the egg I 

 found in a Hedge-Sparrow's nest last year. 



THE SWALLOW. 

 The Swallow arrives in this country about the middle of April; 

 the first I saw in this country was on April 28th. It builds a broad, 

 cup-shaped nest of mud, held together with hay and Imed with 

 feathers, and generally places it where two beams cross under the 

 roof of a barn ; it is also at times placed on the perpendicular wall of 

 a house, or under bridges. The first nest I found this year, on May 

 17th, had one egg in it, but after a few days I came again and some 

 one had broken the nest down. The bird, however, at once started 

 rebuilding operations, and on June 21st there were two eggs in the 

 new nest. Like the Martin, this bird was later than usual in leaving 

 this country. On October 2nd I saw a large flock flying to the South- 

 West, and the last bird I saw was on October 7th. 



THE SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. 

 The Spotted Flycatcher is another migratory bird, arriving 

 about the middle of May. It lives chiefly on insects, and seems to 

 find its favourite food in orchards, where it usually nests. It also, 

 like the Robin, is found nesting in most curious places. I found my 

 first nest of this bird on June 4th, at Leckhampton. It was made of 

 sheep's wool, dry grass and moss, and lined with feathers. It was 

 placed on the beam of a shed. Another I found on June 27th, in a 

 hole in a tree, with four vvell-marked, unusually large eggs in it. 

 About six yards from the first-mentioned nest, there was another one 

 built about four feet down an old pump, and I was puzzled to think 

 how the bird could get down to it or out again when once down, as 

 there was no room for it to use its wings. 



THE LONG-TAILED TIT. 

 The Long-tailed Tit. I found two nests of this bird, one at 

 Whittington anJ the other at Colesbourne, but from neither did I get 

 an egg. The one at Whittington was quite ready for eggs on April 

 20th, but was destroyed during the following week. I was still nearer 

 finding eggs in the one at Colesbourne, for while I was getting up a 

 tree to a Magpie's nest a farmer's boy passed me ; about five minutes 

 afterwards I went on in the same direction he had gone, and found a 



