6 The Early Life of the Young Cuckoo. 



were not convincing enough to those of a sceptical 

 frame of mind, although those who had actually 

 witnessed the performance readily accepted the 

 drawings as correctly representing the mode of 

 procedure. 



Controversy in a certain channel reached fever 

 height in 1899, and my Ayrshire friend at once set 

 to work and secured a wonderful series of photo- 

 graphs revealing^ as well as illustrating, the young 

 Ctickoo in the very act of ejecting an egg and a 

 young bird, which photographs and observations 

 have by this time been heard of throughout the 

 Ornithological world. 



What Mr. Craig has accomplished is a perfect 

 revelation to many people, the more so when one 

 considers how extremely difficult it is to accomplish 

 such a feat ; but owing to his well-directed enthusi- 

 asm, patience, care, knowledge of his subject and 

 whole-heartedness, he has placed bird-lovers under 

 a deep obligation to him, and, as Dr. Japp says in 

 his book on the Cuckoo, "whom all the world 

 will thank for so far decisively setting this matter 

 at rest." 



On June 2, 1899, Mr. Craig found a Meadow 



