﻿Beneficial to Agriculture. 21 



about the end of April or early in May, and leaving again towards 

 the end of August or early in September, although late stragglers 

 have been observed during October in the south-western districts. 



The Swift returns . year after year to the same nesting site, 

 which is commonly under the eaves of thatched cottages, in holes 

 and crevices in church-towers, cliffs and old ruins. The nest is 

 composed of straw, hay, feathers and wool, glued together by a 

 viscid saliva secreted by the bird. The two white eggs are 

 elongated and oval. 



The plumage is bronzed sooty-brown, with a greyish-white 

 chin and throat. The bill and feet are black ; the four toes are 

 directed forwards, and well adapted for clinging, and are very small. 

 The sexes are similar in plumage. The food consists entirely of 

 insects captured in flight. 



CUCKOO. 



Cuculus canorus. 



This familiar bird usually arrives in this country about the 

 middle of April, rarely before the end of the first week. The males 

 precede the females by a few days, and upon their arrival at once 

 give utterance to their well-known call. The adult birds leave 

 during August, but the young remain a month or more later, and 

 take their departure towards the end of September or early in 

 October for their winter home. 



The Cuckoo returns to the same locality year after year, and 

 usually selects nests of the same species of birds in which to 

 place its eggs. The nests most frequently chosen are those of 

 the Hedge Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Eeed Warbler 

 and Sedge Warbler. But many others are made use of, and as 

 many as ninety-six species have been recorded, including such 

 apparently unsuitable birds as the Magpie, Jay, Wood Pigeon and 

 Little Grebe. 



The female Cuckoo deposits her egg on the ground, takes it in 

 her bill, and places it in the selected nest. From five to eight eggs 

 are laid. The clutches from different birds vary greatly in colour 

 and markings ; they are generally more or less of a greenish or 

 brownish-grey, blotched and freckled with darker markings, and 

 invariably have a few small round lead-coloured spots. Some- 

 times they closely resemble those of the foster bird. Blue eggs 



