166 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. xiii 



Since then (1915), six more have been picked up dead amongst 

 the nests in the same parent colony as follows : — 



No. Found Dead. Period since Ringing. 



61009 M^-y 2. 1916 2 years, 11 months 



64160 End of May, 1916 2 years, 11 months 



60683 May, 1917 4 years 



31101 May, 1917 6 years, 11 months 



2891 1 May, 1917 4 years, 11 months 



62044 July 12, 1 91 8 5 years, i month 



As all these nine birds were found dead actually in the colony 

 where they were hatched, not only in the nesting season, but 

 also during the laying part of it, with the exception of the last, 

 they were all probably nesting in their parent gullery, and the 

 last-mentioned had been dead quite a month when found. 



H. W. Robinson. 



ABNORMAL LATE HATCHING OF PARTRIDGES. 



In Wigtownshire there were very large numbers of Partridges 

 {Perdix p. perdix) not three weeks old on September i8th, 

 1919. I knew of a nest of eleven hatching on August 19th, 

 and near Dumfries, a nest hatched on September ist. 



If there were only an isolated case, this might pass unnoticed, 

 but as on each farm one finds coveys now (September 20th) 

 only just able to fly, late hatching is certainly unusually 

 prevalent this year and worthy of record. 



Partridges generally hatched rather late this year, the 

 majority between June 12th and 20th, but granted that some 

 pairs lost their nests from heavy rain on June 12th, why 

 should there be so long an interval between the nests ? Is it 

 a possible solution that pairs lost their brood a.n(l nested again ? 



These late coveys run from twelve to eight young. 



M. Portal. 



LETTER. 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE CUCKOO. 

 To the Editors of British Birds. 



Sirs, — Having alwaj's religiously refrained from active participation 

 in controversy concerning Cuckoo problems, I am rather reluctant to 

 criticize Mr. Edgar Chance's notes in your September issue mainly 

 because the more experience one has in field ornithology, the more one 

 becomes convinced that it is impossible to dogmatize concerning the 

 habits of birds. My own candid opinion is that the problem will never 

 be finally solved for the simple reason that no two pairs of birds ever 

 behave in exactly the same manner ; evolution is probably much more 

 rapid in regard to general habits of birds than we imagine. 



Mr. Edgar Chance is to be highly congratulated on his remarkable 

 achievement, only those who have had experience with the Cuckoo in 



