NOTES AND QUERIES. 261 
were two eggs in it when my gardener saw both the Cuckoos invade it. 
The female turned out one of the eggs, and laid her own in the nest, the 
male bird sitting in an apple tree close above. The egg was of a deep 
reddish hue, and therefore not resembling those of its foster parents. The 
Sparrow afterwards laid two more eggs, and her three nestlings were 
hatched at the same time as the Cuckoo. Two days afterwards my 
gardener, who was occupied in the pigsty, heard “a very curious noise,” 
and from his place of concealment saw both the Cuckoos near the nest. 
The male bird went to the nest, took out the young Sparrows one by one 
in his beak, flew to a rail close by, and dropped them alive on the ground. 
When the destroyers of domestic peace had departed, my gardener replaced 
two of the Sparrows; but the Cuckoos returned almost immediately, and 
the young ones were again ejected by the same process. Both old Cuckoos 
continued to show an interest in their progeny for some time, coming early 
every morning and two or three times each day, and at first actually fed it. 
Recently, however, their visits have been less frequent. ‘Che young bird is 
now fledged, and more than fills the nest. It is assiduously tended by the 
Sparrows, who feed it from a twig close above the nest,—and is as savage 
as a Hawk. Its only beauty, when in its callow state, was the deep orange 
of the inside of its huge gaping mouth, which will be more than large enough 
to hold an egg of the size of two from which it sprung, should it in after 
years wish to entrust its offspring to the care of a Wren. The dark grey 
(almost black) pencillings on its rich brown feathers make it now a hand- 
some bird. My gardener has been a bird-fancier all his life, and has a 
practical knowledge of bird-lore which many might envy. He has seen 
many Cuckoo's eggs, but all of them of a reddish hue; has known them 
laid in Robin's nests, where they would be less distinguishable from the 
foster-parent’s egg than from a Hedge Sparrow’s, but has never seen one 
like the latter. As I know that there are many theories as to the pro- 
ceedings of the Cuckoo, some of them based upon insufficient evidence 
Owing to the rare opportunities of actually seeing what occurs, I venture, 
at the suggestion of our friend the Rev. A. C. Smith, to send you this 
statement.—Henry A. OxiveR (Westgreen House, Winchfield). 
Nesting of the Little Grebe.—With regard to the note on the early 
nesting of the Little Grebe (p. 231) I find, on referring to the ‘ Proceedings 
of the Marlborough College Natural History Society,’ that eggs of this 
species have been frequently taken in that neighbourhood during the first 
few days of April, and in 1882 were found as early as March 16th. In 
1883 I found a nest of this bird on the Kennet, near Marlborough, con- 
taining eggs during the first week in April, and remember seeing the same 
nest, in the middle of the following term (in June, I think), with another 
clutch of eggs,—evidently a second brood.—Artuur H. Macpuersoy. 
