234 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vii. 



season, and in every case but one the foster-parents were 

 ascertained as follows : — 



Foster-Parents. Number of Cases. Percentage. 



Hedge-Sparrow 

 Pied Wagtail 

 Sedge-Warbler 

 Redbreast . . . 

 Linnet 

 Reed-Warbler 



15 53.5 



4 14.2 



3 10.7 



2 7.1 



2 7.1 



2 7.1 



The number of Hedge-Sparrows victimized is larger than 

 I have ever met with in one season before. Usually nearly 

 half my Cuckoo's eggs and young are found in Sedge- 

 Warblers' nests. This year, instead of 60 per cent, of 

 Sedge- Warblers' nests containing Cuckoos, the percentage 

 fell to 6.7. 



In the case of a young Cuckoo found on July 13th, in 

 a Hedge-Sparrow's nest, a pair of Lesser Whitethroats 

 assisted the fosterers in feeding the young bird. On July 27th 

 the cock Whitethroat seemed to resent the Hedge-Sparrow's 

 interference, and it seemed as though the Whitethroats 

 were about to take sole charge of the Cuckoo. This, however, 

 did not prove to be the case, though they fed it at least 

 six times as frequently as the Hedge-Sparrow. On July 31st 

 this Cuckoo was found dead. 



The mortality among the young Cuckoos was about the 

 same as in previous years (c/. Vol. VI., pp. 330-3). Out 

 of sixteen young birds seven failed to survive the nestling- 

 period. In two cases eggs proved to be infertile, and four 

 eggs were removed by rats or deserted, so that out of a total 

 of twenty-two cases in which the result was ascertained, 

 no fewer than thirteen failed from natural causes to reach 

 maturity. The above list does not include a Hedge-Sparrow's 

 iiest which contained two Cuckoo's eggs, but which I did 

 not find until all the eggs had been sucked by mice. 



J. H. Owen. 



SQUACCO HERON IN SUSSEX. 



Towards the end of October, 1913, I had my attention 

 drawn to a strange bird that had been seen on severaloccasions 

 in the locality of Rett, Sussex. Erom the description of 

 one observer who fliushfed it from the bed of a stream, I had 

 no doubt that it was in all probability a Squacco Heron 

 {Ardeola r. ralloides). On November 14th, I was shown an 

 immature male of this species that had been shot at Winchel- 

 sea the previous day. As the spot where the bird was 



