ADDITIONAL CUCKOO NOTES. 883 



From Japan I have received no less than 1 4 of its eggs from Mr. 

 Alan Owston, taken in every instance in the nest of Cettia cantans. 

 These eggs vary very little in depth of colouration, all being of the 

 type obtained first by Osmaston, and Owston tells me that he has never 

 heard of a white egg of this Cuckoo. From Mr. Masson, of Darjeeling, 

 who has been so good as to collect for me during 1906, I have received 

 four most lovely eggs all taken in the nests of an Horornis — two prob- 

 ably pallidus and two probably brunescens. These are also of the 

 same type as Osmaston's, but are of a brighter, more chestnut brick- 

 red than any I" have previously had pass through my hands. Masson's 

 eggs were taken on the 3rd, 20th and 24th of June and 3rd July, 

 respectively. 



A most interesting note sent with the first of these eggs is worth 

 reproducing. He writes : " I found a nest of Horornis in the morn- 

 ing which then contained two eggs of that bird, but, as I noticed a 

 Cuckoo hovering about the nest, I did not interfere with it. In the 

 afternoon I returned to inspect and found this rufous egg, which 1 now 

 send you, in addition to the two which were there in the morning; it 

 cannot be a Horornis egg, as not only is it much brighter and redder 

 in colour but it is considerably larger." 



From Garwhal I have received very valuable information from Mr. 

 S. L. Whymper-, who has also generously given me one of the eggs, 

 about which he writes : " As you are interested in Cuckoos I write to 

 tell you that I found to-day (June 20th) a really remarkable coloured 

 evg of one of these birds. It is purple, exactly the colour of that egg 

 of Horornis pallidipes you sent me. It was in a nest of Phylloscopus 

 affinis which I had marked down about a hundred yards from my hut 

 and which contained three eggs of the rightful owner — white ones, not 

 spotted. I think the Cuckoo must have made a mistake and thought 

 the nest was that of Horornis pallidus, which is quite common lower 

 down." On the 26th Mr. Whymper again writes : " I think we have 

 made a discovery, that purple egg is the egg of Cueulus poliocephalus. 

 We found the nest of Pnoepyga squamata with three eggs in it, but not 

 having my gun with me, and wanting the bird itself, I left them until 

 the following day. When I went back the next day to the Wren's 

 nest, there were only two Wren's eggs in it and one of these 

 purple eggs, the Cuckoo who put it there evidently thinking exchange 

 no robbery." 



