AND OTHER BIRDS 195 



haste, and before the event was known, proved 

 themselves to be apposite when the whole circum- 

 stances were elucidated; and, "with dashed 

 spirits" and "subdued-looking" added, com- 

 pletely pictured the perturbed air of the little 

 Tit. 



Still, however, he made no attempt to feed the 

 chicks; and I was still further puzzled when, 

 instead of bearing food as had been his custom, 

 to his family, he whistled the hen from her 

 nest and fed her, or, at any rate, gave her food 

 in the thicket. This happened several times, the 

 hen always returning at once to her duties. At 

 last, despairing of obtaining the pair on one plate, 

 I photographed the hen alone, and retired to 

 cover some dozen yards away where, unseen or 

 at any rate uncared for, I could watch both the 

 Tits' nest and the movement of the Bush 

 Creepers in the adjoining thicket. 



I had been sitting there in silence for some 

 minutes, when the mystery of the Tit's conduct 

 was solved, and I became conscious, for the 

 hundredth time, of the depths of my ignorance of 

 the meaning of things. The hen Tit suddenly 

 left her nest and simultaneously a Long-tailed 

 Cuckoo glided down. From my hiding place I 

 had a perfect view of all that passed. For a 

 fraction of a second he clung to the hard wood 

 forming the outer rim of the nest cavity; his 

 body and long tail hung downwards and seemed 

 to be pressed inwards against the tree. His 

 head was immediately over the nest and 

 nestlings, and his bill, I should think, must have 

 actually touched them. His whole attitude was 

 that of a gymnast drawing himself up till his 

 chin was raised above the parallel bar. 



