THE CUCKOO'S FOSTER-PARENTS AND EGOS 489 



127 were obtained from nests of L. coUwrio. In other puts of Germany 

 this proportion is reversed. Thus out of 119 eggs from Dessau, only 

 10 were obtained from nests of this species. Next in order comes 

 the white-wagtail, Motaeittu alba alba L., with 105 records, followed by 

 lh. -;inl n-wail>lrr with 1<K>. (he iv<-tl-\\arl)lrr with si;, tin- common 

 wren with 82, the redstart with 76, the robin with 72, the common 

 whitethroat with 49, and the barred-warbler with 38. Other species 

 which have been recorded more than ten times are the tree-pipit (31), 

 the sedge-warbler and hedge-sparrow (25), the marsh- warbler (24), the 

 blackcap (21), the meadow-pipit (18), the chiff-chaff' (16), the pied- 

 wagtail (16), the linnet and wood-warbler (15), the yellow-bunting (14), 

 the lesser-whitethroat (13), the great reed-warbler (11), and the blue- 

 headed-wagtail (10). 



At the present time no materials are available for a similar study 

 of English records, but it is quite clear that if a list were drawn up on 

 similar lines there would be considerable discrepancies. Thus the 

 redbacked-shrike would be relegated to the list of rarer fosterers, the 

 pied- and yellow-wagtails would replace the white- and blue-headed 

 forms, the barred- warbler would disappear from the list altogether, 

 and the marsh-warbler would be classed among the rarest foster- 

 parents. On the other hand the hedge-sparrow, meadow-pipit, and 

 yellow-bun ting would probably take much higher positions in the list 

 At Mr. BidweU's exhibition, where the great majority of exhibited 

 specimens were of British origin, some idea may be gathered of the 

 preponderance of certain fosterers from the number of nests 

 exhibited. Thus the hedge-sparrow supplied 74 instances, the 

 robin 65, the reed-warbler 62, the meadow-pipit 49, the garden- 

 warbler 47, and the sedge-warbler 41. Among the rarer foster- 

 parents which have been found with cuckoo's eggs in the British 

 Isles, the following deserve special treatment :'- 



1 It hma not been thought neceawry to give records in the catte of the commonly adopted 

 fosterers mentioned above, nor in those of the linnet, yellow-bunting, tree-pipit, whitethroat, 

 willow-warbler, garden-warbler or wren, all of which have been frequently recorded. 



