XXVII. 



THE SPANISH EVIDENCE. 



From the facts already given it will be seen that 

 verified observations in different countries show that 

 there can be no manner of doubt cuckoo's eggs do 

 vary within a certain range ; and there are facts con- 

 nected with varieties of the cuckoo family which are 

 strangers to our island, or very rarely seen there, 

 such as add new force to this position. 



Take first the great spotted cuckoo {Coccystes glan- 

 darius), only two of which have, in 1849 and 1870, 

 been found brooding in this country. Its eggs so 

 clearly resemble those of the pies {Pica niauritanica 

 and Cyanopica cooki), in the nests of which they are 

 found, that even expert zoologists have been deceived 

 by them, only to discover the truth when the cuckoo's 

 embryo has been extracted from the supposed pie's 



egg- 



The great spotted cuckoo in Spain was so far very 

 carefully observed by I .ord Lilford. He tells us that 

 he more than once found three eggs of the cuckoo in 

 one nest, with four or five of those of the magpie, 

 and that once he actually met with eight cuckoo's 

 eggs to five of the magpie. He also makes the very 

 significant statement that the eggs of the cuckoo in 

 all these cases were more advanced towards hatching 

 than those of the magpie. He only once, he says, 

 found there a cuckoo's egg in a raven's nest.'^' Now, 



* Lord Lilford's actual words are : 



" The greatest number of cuckoo's eggs found by us in any 

 one nest was eight, with five of the magpie." It is almost in- 



