( 90 ) 

 OBSERVATIONS ON THE CUCKOO. 



BY 



EDGAR CHANCE, m.b.o.u. 

 In Coitniry Life of October 26th, 1918, and subsequently in 

 British Birds (XII., pp. 182-4), there appeared " Some Notes 

 on the Cuckoo," which described in detail how I found nine 

 eggs of the Cuckoo {Cuculus c. canorus) during the month of 

 June, eight deposited in the nests of Meadow-Pipits {Antlius 

 pratensis) and one in the nest of a Sky-Lark {Alauda a. 

 arvensis). The site is a small common in Worcestershire, 

 less than a mile in circumference, and the nine eggs were 

 undoubtedly the product of one Cuckoo. 



Last year's interesting study inspired me to see what 

 could be achieved again this season, particularly when so 

 soon as May 18th, in searching the common with friends, a 

 solitary Cuckoo's egg was found deposited in a Meadow- 

 Pipit's nest, the egg bearing such a similarity to last year's 

 series as to leave no doubt whatever that the same Cuckoo 

 was back in the locality and about to victimize the Meadow- 

 Pipits on the same common this year. 



Anticipating this probability, I had visited the common 

 on May nth, and finding two incubated clutches of Meadow- 

 Pipits' eggs, removed these in order to provide a greater 

 incentive for the Cuckoo this year should she return. It 

 will be recollected that I argued last year that the number 

 of eggs which a Cuckoo might la}^ in a season probably de- 

 pended in great measure upon the number of available nests 

 of the particular species which nature inclined her to victimize, 

 the theory being that a Cuckoo will tend to deposit her eggs 

 in the nests of that species to which her own foster-parents 

 belonged. 



No record was made of the precise amount of time I 

 spent on the particular common this year, but it is certain 

 that considerably over one hundred hours is a moderate 

 estimate. Incidentally, I spent the night of June nth on 

 the common, sleeping on a rug with my miner friend, Mr. 

 Simmonds, to the services of whom — with those of his collie 

 dog — tribute was paid in my notes last year. All the same. 



