L. THE CUCKOO IN THE PIPIT'S NEST. 



THE nest in which we found the Cuckoo's egg was limited in 

 size, from being built in a bank which shut it in on three sides. 

 It was too small for a Cuckoo to sit in so as to lay her egg as 

 birds usually do ; so I am inclined to agree with those who 

 believe that she lays it on the ground first, then carries it in 

 her beak to the destined nest. I have heard of a Cuckoo having 

 been shot with an egg in its mouth, which has probably given 

 rise to the belief prevalent in the South of Scotland that Cuckoos 

 eat other birds' eggs. There is an old nursery rhyme to that 

 effect : 



" The Cuckoo is a bonny bird, she sings as she flies ; 

 She brings us good tidings, and tells us no lies ; 

 She sucks little birds' eggs to make her voice clear, 

 And always sings 'Cuckoo' when spring-time is near." 



The old English rhyme makes the Cuckoo masculine, and is 

 less imaginative and more in accordance with known facts : 



" In April, come he will ; 

 In May, he sings all day ; 

 In June, he alters his tune ; 

 In July, he prepares to fly ; 

 Come August, go he must." 



It seems Cuckoos' eggs vary very much in colour, maybe in 

 order to match those they are to be placed among, so that the 

 foster-mother bird may be less likely to detect the fraud. I 

 have seen a collection of Cuckoos' eggs in the Natural History 

 Museum in London some green, or blue, some plain white, as 

 well as speckled-brown, like the Pipit's in whose nest Miss 

 Blackburn found one. 



Concerning this collection Sir William Flower writes me : 



105 



