THE CUCKOO M.7 



she* for nests before she is ffsniy to lay an egg. As she often, 

 if not usually, lays the latter on the ground before depositing it in a 

 nest, it is possible that she may also search for the nest after laying, 

 but there is no evidence that she does so. When a nest is built OB 

 the MOM site year after year, a cuckoo will return to it, thus saving 

 lirrM'lt'ron-itl'-r.iMr trouble. 1 



The actual deposition of the egg in the nest, which may take 



plarr ;it ;ni\ t inn- <>t 't lie la\ . li;is !>, n ( |rM-i -j| M -<l mil. i;nl IIIOIT than 



once. In one instance the male bird was observed to be present as 

 well as the female. He is stated to have made on the ground a rough 

 nest of loose earth. The hen bird then flew down, "and appeared to 

 do as much as her mate had done, scratching the loose ground for 

 OM6 time. She then sat quite still for perhaps ten minutes." When 

 she hud laid the egg, she was joined by the cock, who meanwhile had 

 been flying excitedly round an elm tree some thirty feet distant. She 

 took the egg in her beak, and, with the cock, flew to the elm, where 

 she was seen distinctly to place the egg in a wren's nest which stood 

 five feet from the base of the tree.' Bailly, again, saw a hen cuckoo, 

 after driving a robin from its nest, which was placed in a hole, 

 descend to the ground, lay her egg, seize the egg in her beak, and 

 push her head and neck into the hole, leaving her egg in the 

 nest 4 



In the first of the two instances given the cock was not only 

 present, but played an active part in the proceedings, the most 

 remarkable feature being his preparation of the temporary nest (if 

 it was a nest), which recalls a somewhat similar action on the part 

 of the male nightjar related on page 370 above. The cock has 

 been observed on more than one occasion to accompany his mate 

 when engaged in depositing her egg, but this, as far as I am 



1 For instance* see Yuri-ell's History of Bird*, 4th edit., ii. 408 ; !>' Urban and Matthew, Bird* 

 of Devon. ' J. A. Link, op. cit., p. 125. 



' FMd, 1806, Ixxzr. OS) (A. Malcolm YeaU). It baa been suggested to me that the bird* 

 were dusting themselves. 



OmitkologiedtlaSavoie, i. 887. Cf. also Field, 1802, ziz. Mo; Zoologist, 1000, 202; Xoolo- 

 Gorton, 1808, 874 ; J. A. Link, op. n/., p. 180. 



VOL. II. 30 



