190 CUCKOO. 



Unlike the Woodpeckers, this bird never makes its 

 own hole, but takes any one it can find, consequently 

 its eggs are found at all heights, and the hole is of 

 various depths. A favourite tree is an apple tree in an 

 orchard, but other trees are used, and sometimes an 

 old dead stump. The eggs are laid on the mouldered 

 wood scraped together, at the bottom of the hole. 

 They are six to ten in number, and pure white. As 

 previously mentioned they strongly resemble eggs of 

 the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, but are as a rule 

 larger and less highly polished. 



If the eggs of this bird are removed, she will con- 

 tinue laying a great .number. An instance is given 

 in the Magazine of Natural History where twenty-two 

 eggs were taken from one nest ; in the first instance 

 five, then six, four, and lastly seven ; when, judging it 

 hardly worth while to lay any more for the benefit of 

 others, the Wryneck quitted her nest. In another 

 case related in the Zoologist forty-two eggs were 

 taken from one nest. In the following year forty-two 

 eggs were again removed, the third year only one egg 

 was laid, and the fourth year the nest was deserted. 



CUCKOO. 



CUCULUS CANORUS. 



Family CUCULID^E. Genus CUCULUS. 



Gowk. 



Did space permit, quite a large volume might be 

 written on this most interesting of our British visitors. 

 In all parts of the British Isles the Cuckoo is a 

 common bird. We probably are familiar with the 

 old rhyme : 



