204 Pettitt : Cuckoos' Eggs. 



FUNGI. 



Fungi of the Don District. — During the past season, 

 within two miles of home, I have observed amongst others, 

 the following : — Amanita mappa, A. muscaria, A. ruhescens, 

 Lepiota procera, Tricholoma portentosa, T. jlavohrunnea, T. 

 gamhosa, T. nuda, Riissula azurea, R. rnbra, Collybia radicata, 

 abundant in grass over tree roots ; C. velutipes, Marasmius 

 oreades, Hygrophorus ohrusseus, H. conicus, H. psittacinus, 

 Clitocybe nehilaris, scarce ; C. phyUophilus, frequent in oak 

 woods. C. flaccidus, a group of six, a pretty species. Plenr- 

 otus lignatilis, on beech, eaten off by cattle attracted, no doubt, 

 by the strong mealy odour ; P. yevoluHts var. anglicus, on willow, 

 Paxillus panuoides, Pholiota aiirea, a group of seven, conspic- 

 uous by size and rich hue ; P. radicosa, Galera hypnorum, 

 Tubaria furfuracea, Psilocybe spadicea, Coprinus comatus, 

 scarce ; C. atramentarms, Fistulina hepatica, frequent on oak ; 

 Porta vulgaris, Tremella mesenterica, Sphcerobohis stellatus, 

 Lycoperdon pyriforme, Arcyria punicea. — J. H. Payne, New- 

 hill, West Melton, Rotherham, 2nd April, 1918. 



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CUCKOOS' EQQS. 



In the May number, Mr. E. P. Butterfield says that he has at least found one 

 nest with two cuckoo eggs, and there were overwhelming reasons to 

 convince anyone that both eggs were laid by one cuckoo. It would be 

 interesting to know what these overwhelming reasons may be, for although 

 I have seen hundreds of cuckoos' eggs in situ, and many instances of two 

 in one nest, I have never known a case of the same cuckoo twice making 

 use of the same nest. 



Each female cuckoo confines her activities to a given area as I (and 

 others) have proved by carefully noting and comparing the types of eggs 

 laid in each area. Two cuckoo eggs are sometimes found in one nest on 

 the border line of two areas. It is but very rarely that two contiguous 

 cuckoos lay eggs which resemble each other so closely that they can be 

 taken for eggs of the same bird. I have so found them, and it needed a 

 comparison of several eggs of both cuckoo ' clutches ' to show the difference 

 in an almost identical type — possibly a case of mother and daughter, which 

 was what almost certainly happened to Ray when he gave as his opinion 

 that cuckoos might lay as many as twenty eggs from his experience with 

 shrike dupes. The average cuckoo ' clutch ' is very difficult to determine, 

 for one can never be certain that every egg has been discovered. I have 

 found a ' clutch ' of twelve, and others of nine and ten. Laying will take 

 place from the end of May to the end of July, and is curiously irregular. 

 It is possible that in large ' clurches ' there is much that is akin to the 

 ' double-broodedness ' of other species. 



I have used the word ' clutch ' in inverted commas for no real reason. 

 The cuckoo lays a clutch as other birds do, but scatters it about. 



E. E. Pettitt. 



The authorities of the Natural History Museum sent the Lord Mayor 

 of Hull a portion of whale flesh from the whale stranded at Battersea 

 recently, and have drawn the attention of the Ministry of Food to the value 

 of whale flesh as food. The Lord Mayor remarked, ' The whale steak we 

 had for lunch was delicious. We all enjoyed it very much." 



Naturalist 



