204 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
the old Hedge Accentor came on to the edge of the nest, and 
stooped down with its head into the nest, and took some white 
matter into its mouth (I think excrement from the young birds) 
and swallowed it. The old bird went on to the nest and off again 
four or five times in about two hours. I left for breakfast at 
eight o’clock, the old bird sitting on the nest. Returned at half- 
past eight. The old bird was off the nest, and the young and 
eggs as before lying quiet at the bottom of the nest. I don’t 
think the young birds have been fed yet. The old bird has 
returned, and is sitting on the nest. I feel sure that the old 
bird takes the dung from the young birds and eats it. The old 
bird remains off about ten minutes at atime. She is back and 
on the nest again this time in a minute or two. She appeared 
to be very uneasy and uncomfortable, raising her wings and 
standing on her legs in the nest. In this position she made a 
kind of shuffle, and in a moment the Cuckoo was on the back of 
the Hedge Accentor, and in another moment the Accentor was 
off the nest and the Cuckoo into the nest off her back (what this 
meant it is impossible to say). The mother was off for about 
ten minutes, and then on again and off, and when off an 
Accentor’s egg was put on to the edge of the nest by the young 
Cuckoo in my presence. This was at half-past ten. The egg 
rested on the edge of the nest for some time, and then it fell 
down into the bush, by the movements of the old bird on the 
edge of the nest. The Cuckoo then fell into the bottom of the 
nest, apparently in a very agitated state, and overpowered or 
exhausted by the effort. The mother then returned again to the 
nest, and proceeded as before in taking off the dung from the 
young and eating it. She remained a very short time on the 
nest, but seemed very uneasy, raising herself and standing in 
the nest. ‘The Cuckoo seems to be increasing in bulk, and is 
much agitated, lying at the bottom of the nest. The two young 
Accentors lay motionless at the bottom of the nest, while the 
Cuckoo kept moving its wings like hands, as if to excite or 
stir its companions into action. In about twenty-five minutes 
the Cuckoo made two desperate efforts to get one of the young 
Accentors flung over the edge of the nest, but failed, for when it 
got the young one to the top it fell back again into the 
bottom of the nest. Another unsuccessful struggle took place 
when the mother was on the side of the nest. About eleven 
