TRANSACTIONS. 73 
of March ; but if this is so, the birds would appear to get confused 
in their dates occasionally, as we have seen them re-habilitating 
their old homes as early as the second week in February. In 
Chambers’s “Book of Days,” the twelfth day after Candlemas 
(O. S.) is similarly associated with the nesting habits of the crow ; 
and we are told the Rev. Dr Waugh used to relate that, on his 
return from the first year’s session at the University of Edinburgh, 
his father’s gardener undertook to give him a few lessons in 
natural history. Among other things he told him that the 
“craws” (rooks) always began building twelve days after Candle- 
mas. Wishing to show off his learning, young Waugh asked the 
old man if the craws counted by the old or by the new style, just 
then introduced by Act of Parliament. Turning upon the young 
student a look of contempt, the old gardener said : ‘“ Young man, 
eraws care naething for Acts of Parliament.” We are disposed to 
think they care just as little for popular beliefs, and that in the 
matter of nest-building they observe no hard and fast rule whatso- 
ever. The truth is that by the first Sunday in March, or even the 
twelfth day after Candlemas, nest-building has become so general 
that even the unobservant can no longer shut their eyes to the 
fact. The Jackdaw (Corvus MJonedula) is plentiful. A few nest 
in ruined buildings and in chimneys, but the greater number make 
use of rabbit burrows. When White wrote his delightful 
“Natural History of Selborne,” this habit of nesting in burrows 
was considered something very remarkable, but we suppose 
instances of its occurrence are now known to be frequent. The 
Magpie (Pica Caudata) is now almost, if not quite, extirpated. 
Our welcome visitor, the Cuckoo (Cuculus Canorus) is common. 
This bird’s peculiar habits of nidification are well known, but I 
have an incident which is probably unique. Robert Currie, shep- 
herd at Castlehill, in the parish of Durrisdeer, while on his usual 
morning round of inspection among the sheep stock under his care, 
noticed a young bird lying on the ground. Lifting it, and looking 
about him, he discovered a nest, which contained a similar 
birdling, not far off, and in this nest he placed the birdling he had 
picked up. Next morning, on making a return visit to the spot, 
he was surprised to find the bird outside the nest again. He 
replaced it once more, but soon afterwards found it outside as 
before—this time dead from exposure. He then discovered that 
both of the birds were young cuckoos, and each being actuated by 
the instinct to eject its fellow-occupant from the nest. The 
