VOL. XIV.] OBSERVATIONS ON A CUCKOO. 223 



tree and occupied the same perch. At 4.30 she once again 

 floated down from the tree and settled for a few seconds 

 beside the nest. The suddenness of the proceeding was such 

 that I really had no time either to focus my field-glasses or 

 take in hand my watch. For the few moments that the 

 Cuckoo was at the nest the two Pipits could clearly be seen 

 fluttering round her, but only one chased her as she flew off. 

 On going up to the spot I was overjoyed to find one of the 

 Pipit's eggs missing and that of the Cuckoo, still warm, in 

 its place. 



Thus my desire was at length fulfilled, but in a manner so 

 unexpected that much was left to be discovered on subsequent 

 occasions. It was so far certain that in all too brief a time 

 the Cuckoo had laid her egg beside the nest, inserted it with 

 her biU, and had removed without leaving a trace one of the 

 fosterer's eggs. 



I2TH Egg. 

 June 4th. — As it could now be seen that the Cuckoo was 

 laying at intervals approximating forty-eight hours, nothing 

 was expected of her 3^esterday, but to-day it was rather 

 anticipated she would place her egg in the nest of No. 5 pair 

 of Meadow-Pipits, which had just completed its clutch of 

 five eggs. There was no other nest known to be available, 

 and although it was surmised that No. i pair might have one 

 ready, yet we had not been able hitherto to find it. Conse- 

 quently at I p.m. I took up a position on the breeding territory 

 of No. I pair whilst the two Simmonds were stationed at other 

 points giving a general view of the common, in particular 

 the nest of No. 5 pair. At 2 p.m. I walked over to the 

 Simmonds and did so again at 3 p.m., nothing having been 

 seen of the Cuckoo during the two hours. About 3.15 I 

 returned by a circuitous route to my station on the breeding 

 territory of No. i pair, and saw a Cuckoo, chased by a Pipit, 

 rise from the ground not twenty yards in front of me. I 

 searched the place with no result. Having watched for, but 

 seen no more of, the Cuckoo, we adjourned to tea. Later 

 in the evening another thorough search was undertaken 

 around the spot where I had seen the Cuckoo leave the 

 ground, the behaviour of the No. i male Meadow-Pipit now 

 undoubtedly indicating a sitting mate. Eventually the 

 Pipit was flushed from an exceptionally skilfully concealed 

 nest down a long hole overhung by gorse. It contained two 

 eggs of the fosterer and the twelfth of the Cuckoo. This 

 was the unfortunately hitherto undiscovered fourth nest 

 of No. I pair, which had been re-started on May 27th. The 



