in each year, and 
does not regain it 
till the pairing sea- 
son begins in the 
following spring. 
The egg of the 
Cuckoo—which is 
deposited on the ground, and is then picked 
up and carried in the mother’s beak to 
the nest in which it is to be placed—is 
strangely small for the size of the bird, 
and varies very greatly in colour and 
markings. It has been found in the nests of many different 
birds, but is most frequently found in those of the hedge 
sparrow, the pied wagtail, and the meadow pipit. 
