526 Rev. C. Wolley-Dod — Cuckoo and Swallow 



On that day, June 23rd, I put another piece of board by 

 the side of the first in the wedge of the roof, and on it I 

 lodged an empty Blackbird's nest, in which I placed the 

 young Cuckoo, leaving the Swallow in its own nest. When 

 the old birds next came, they sat upon a box which hung 

 against the wall just opposite their nest, inside the shed. 

 After twittering there for about ten minutes and taking a 

 survey of the new nest they flew off and returned with food 

 six times in half an hour. I think they fed only the Cuckoo 

 in the Blackbird's nest, neglecting their own nest and progeny. 

 Later in the day, as the little Swallow seemed to be getting 

 cold and starved, I put it with the Cuckoo into the Black- 

 bird's nest. From that time I took down this nest every 

 time I wanted to look at the birds, and replaced it on the 

 board. 



The two nestlings lived peaceably together, and both got fed 

 and grew. The Swallow generally had its head visible from 

 under the rear of the Cuckoo's wing. The Cuckoo after a day 

 or two began to resent being touched or looked at, rising up 

 in the nest and making threatening demonstrations, drawing 

 back his head and striking with his beak. His rate of growth 

 was astonishing. I often sat in the corner of the shed and 

 watched the parent birds. When they first saw me there, they 

 generally went and sat up on their favourite box opposite the 

 nest_, the fii-st waiting for the arrival of the other, and they 

 appeared on that visit to swallow the food they had brought 

 in their mouths. They then went off together, and one or 

 other came about once in two minutes, flying at once to 

 the nest, though I could not then distinguish which of 

 the two young ones was fed at each visit. The droppings 

 were all carried away from the ledge by the old birds in 

 their beaks, and let fall at some distance from the nest. 

 In one of my inspections I dropped a white feather 

 with which the Swallow's nest had been lined, and at its 

 next visit the old bird picked it up from the ground and 

 carried it away. This made me think that the broken eggs 

 had been removed in the same way. 



On the 28th we had a garden-party, and many visitors went 



