210 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. xv. 



found on May 15th, close to the school infirmary, and another, 

 not far from it, the next day. It is probable that egg 

 depositing had begun about a week earher. Later on three 

 young birds were found all quite near where the eggs were 

 found. No Cuckoos were heard calling after June igth (a 

 very early date for them to stop) and the last fresh egg was 

 found on June 17th. The last nestling, kept under observa- 

 tion, quitted the nest on July 21st. 



In all 27 eggs and young were found. Of these 21 were in 

 nests of the Hedge-Sparrow {Prunella ni. modular is), one in 

 that of a Linnet [Carduelis c. cannabina), one in a White- 

 throat's {Sylvia c. communis), three in Pied Wagtail's {Motacilla 

 alba lugubris) and one in a Robin's {Erithacus rubecula melo- 

 philus). One Hedge-Sparrow's nest had two eggs and two 

 Cuckoo's eggs. This list has nothing unusual in it, but two 

 of the nests are of special interest to ornithologists. The egg 

 in the Whitethroat's nest was in a nest less than half -built ; 

 indeed, it was so flimsy that a fair breeze would have shaken 

 the egg through the bottom. The egg in the Linnet's nest was 

 placed there several days after the nest had been robbed by 

 some boys, and as the Linnet was then sitting it could not 

 possibly have held eggs when utilised by the Cuckoo. More- 

 over, the nest looked stale and deserted when the Cuckoo's 

 egg was found in it. Another curious point about this egg 

 was that the Cuckoo which laid it was using Hedge-Sparrows' 

 nests in the vicinity where it was found. 1 found several of 

 her eggs, including four, two preceding and two following, the 

 one she put in the Linnet's nest. Some of the eggs were 

 destroyed by mice, birds and village boys ; two of the nine 

 young Cuckoos I watched did not survive the nestling period. 



J. H. Owen. 



LATE CUCKOO IN WILTSHIRE. 



On December 3rd, 1921, I put up near the river Ray a young 

 Cuckoo (C. c. canorus). It, 1 think, rose from the ground, 

 flew a little way and alighted on a strand of barbed wire 

 which ran along the bank of the river. It sat quite still, 

 and I could observe it carefully at 20 yards' distance. On a 

 nearer approach it flew off and pitched in a thick hedge the 

 other side of the field. I had half a mind to shoot it, and 

 make certain of its identity but refrained, as I was reallj^ 

 quite sure. There was a bitter wind blowing, but the bird 

 flew strongly and well. The incident is not unique in my 

 experience, for three years ago a young Cuckoo haunted 

 my garden here for four or five days during the first week of 



