82 A VEONG DAY WITH Taos TRS, 
tinuous. And there were blackbirds galore. 
They are a plague at fruit-time in this 
neighbourhood (see Part II, pp. 94-100), and 
are mercilessly destroyed. A nest is always 
‘pulled’ if found. (I knew of a nest here 
in which seventeen eggs were laid in one 
season, in two clutches of six each and one 
of five.) But when the many acres of black- 
berries became ripe there would be more than 
enough for all of them and other birds too, 
as well as for whole schools of children let 
loose amongst them. I heard for the first 
time what I thought might be the peculiar 
note of the cuckoo, said by some to be uttered 
by the hen with an egg in its mouth seeking 
some other bird’s nest wherein to lay it (see 
Part I, p. 73)> The trst- syllable’ orem 
familiar cry was clear—‘ Cuck ’—but the 
usual well-sounded ‘oo’ was replaced by 
an imperfect and somewhat muffled ‘ cull-oo.’ 
This ‘ cuck-cull-oo ’ was repeated many times, 
so that there was no doubt about it. These 
notes may, however, have been made by an 
amorous male bird, and I am more inclined 
