The Zoologist — August, 1866. 346 



bottom of its own. It is difficult to say when a nest is finished, for 

 some of them, though being lined, are quite open at the top, but may 

 _ be built up, and ihe opening rounded off, while the eggs are incubated. 

 They have been observed taking sea-weed to line their nests, and they 

 collect mud from off the shore, where a rivulet falls into the sea. 

 Though the hole in the rebuilt nest has been stopped some of the 

 upper part has fallen away, for want of adhesiveness, I believe. There 

 are now eight nests, but two only are of full size and well rounded. 

 I believe, as I have already remarked (Zool. 9840), that Macgillivray 

 was mistaken in thinking that the martin ever completes its nest, even 

 under the most favourable circumstances, in six days, and 1 have 

 shown that these hastily built or rebuilt nests are not only of smaller 

 size, but imperfect in shape and finish, yet take nine days or more in 

 the construction. Though saying that the construction of the nest 

 occupies from six to ten days, he does not inform us how he arrived at 

 this conclusion, but I think the following passage from a corre- 

 spondent's communication explains it: — "1 have seen them inhabited 

 in the course of six or eight days, particularly when the former ones 

 have been washed down." That the martin usually takes about 

 double the time in building that Macgillivray has here stated there 

 can be little doubt, though much depends on the weather. From 

 twelve to fourteen days I believe to be about the average lime for a 

 full-sized nest. 



Cuckoo.— A. neighbour's gardener, on looking into a robin's nest on 

 the 20th of June, was surprised to find in it a young cuckoo of the size 

 of a thrush, which after being handled (like the young of many other 

 species) would not remain in the nest. An endeavour is being made 

 to bring it up by the hand, and it feeds readily enough ; indeed it has 

 a constant craving for food, as might be expected, seeing that its foster 

 parents must be for ever feeding it. The nest was in an abrupt ivy- 

 covered bank, where it would have puzzled any large bird but the 

 cuckoo to have laid an egg, it being quite embedded in the ivy, where 

 there would be no room for a cuckoo, unless sealed on the edge of the 

 nest with tail erect, which probably is the position it assumes, though 

 its laying in the nest of the robin must be of rare occurrence. 



Henry Hadfield. 



Venlnor, Isle of Wight, 

 July 6, 1866. 



SECOND SERIES — VOL. I. 2 Y 



