OCCASIONAL NOTES. 361 
Mr. C. Smith. No doubt the severe weather, especially towards the end of 
November, drove many strangers to the islands, and caused others to 
remain the winter which usually leave during the autumn. Although the 
winter was very cold, yet in Guernsey little or no snow fell after November. 
Larrived there on December 10th, and have seen no snow since; there 
were some few hard frosts, though, in January. It is a curious fact that 
there are no Rooks in Guernsey; they have, however, several times come 
over for a while. During the autumn and winter of the Franco-Prussian 
war they came to Guernsey in great numbers and made an attempt at 
colonising; but, for some unknown reason, they all returned to France at 
nesting time. There are no Jays in Guernsey, while Magpies are as 
common as they are in France. I may add, in conclusion, that on 
March 16th I saw a Sand Martin near Mt. George, Guernsey, and one a 
few days afterwards by Moulin Huet Bay; after which I saw no more of 
the Hirundinide for some time. I saw and heard the Wryneck on 
March 30th.—Joun Vaueuan (Haselbury, Crewkerne). 
Biue Eacs or THE Cuckoo.—During the last week of May, 1880, in 
company with Capt. Elwes, I spent a few days at Falconswaard, in Holland. 
The morning before we left, a boy brought us-the nest of a Redstart, 
containing five eggs of the usual size and one of the reputed Cuckoo's eggs, 
at least double the weight of the others, but quite as blue, though there 
were a few pale spots upon the surface. In drilling this egg it was observable 
that the shell was much thicker than that of the others. All the eggs were 
highly incubated, and contained live young, which moved their feet when 
extracted from the large hole which I was obliged to make. The young of 
the Redstart had very slender feet, almost transparent. ‘The young bird in 
the large egg was much larger, with comparatively large coarse feet, which 
were decidedly yellow in colour, and it was perfectly easy to see that the 
toes were arranged two in front and two behind. Capt. Elwes agreed with 
me that there could not be two opinions about this bird, which was 
unquestionably a young Cuckoo. So far this seems to set this much 
disputed question at rest. These blue eggs are not double-yelked Redstart’s 
eggs, as has so often been asserted, but are veritable Cuckoo’s, in some 
cases at least. My theory is that the Cuckoo which laid this egg was boru 
in a Redstart’s nest, and was consequently fed in early youth by a Redstart, 
and naturally seeks every year to lay her eggs in the nest of a Redstart. 
She was probably hatched from a blue egg, and probably always lays blue 
eggs. The theory that the Cuckoo is always able to assimilate the colour 
of her eggs to those of the species in whose nest she has an opportunity of 
placing them is one which requires proof in its favour before it can be 
accepted. During a previous visit to Hanover I had an opportunity of 
inspecting the fine collection of eggs of Herr Pralle, which contains a 
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