\U BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. xiv. 



but on this occasion the Cuckoo was perched on a branch of a 

 chestnut tree about five feet from the ground, with no branches 

 below it. The foster-parent took no notice of me, but regularly 

 at intervals of two and a half minutes (once she was away for 

 five minutes) brought. what looked like one of the fat, whitish 

 larvae so often turned up by the spade at that time of year, 

 and inserted it into the widely-opened beak of the waiting 

 Cuckoo. 



As I left the district the next day I was unable to continue 

 my observations, but the date seems rather early for a young 

 Cuckoo to be so far advanced. Though I never actually saw 

 the bird fly, I presume it must have fiown to the place where 

 I saw it on the 27th. During all the time I had the birds 

 under observation I did not once hear the Cuckoo actually 

 make any chirrup or other noise. J. M. McTear. 



[Records of Cuckoos being fed by fosterers do not afford 

 actual proof that the former were reared by the latter, though 

 strongly presumptive. — Eds.] 



CUCKOO'S EGGS AND NESTLINGS, 1920. 



This year Cuckoos {Cuculus c. canorus) were generally far 

 less abundant around Felsted than usual ; in one or two 

 small districts they were more plentiful than I have previously 

 noticed them. They had obviously begun to lay by May 13th, 

 though no egg was found until May 14th, when one was found 

 in a Robin's nest. On one occasion I was fortunate enough 

 to find a Robin's nest with two Cuckoo's eggs and four Robin's 

 eggs. On another occasion while cycling along a lane I 

 turned a sharp corner and almost ran into a Cuckoo standing 

 on the edge of a Hedge-Sparrow's nest, holding an egg in the 

 bill, with which she flew away. As there was only a Hedge- 

 Sparrow's egg in the nest, she was probably in the act of 

 depositing her own egg when I flashed her. When I revisited 

 the nest in the evening a Cuckoo's egg was in the nest together 

 with the Hedge-Sparrow's egg. The incident happened at 

 noon (normal time). The usual depositing time is between 

 3 and 5 p.m. 



A Cuckoo deposited an egg in a Wren's nest in a garden at 

 Braintrce and the young Cuckoo was successfully reared by 

 the Wrens. The feeding afforded great interest and amuse- 

 ment to the owners of the garden. 



In all sixteen cases were noted, the birds victimized being : 

 Hedge-Sparrow 7, Robin 3 (or four counting the two eggs in 

 one nest separately). Pied Wagtail 3, Wren i, Tree-Pipit i. 



In one case the three Robin's eggs and the Cuckoo's egg 



