THE CUCKOO. 235 



Mr. Weir says a young Cuckoo was hatched 

 with three young Titlarks on the 6th June, 

 " On the afternoon of the loth two of the Tit- 

 larks were found lying dead at the bottom of 

 the ditch ; the other one had disappeared." 

 Subsequently this Cuckoo was removed, and 

 placed in another Titlark's nest, nearer home, 

 for more convenient observation. On the fol- 

 lowing day Mr. Weir found it covered by the 

 old Titlark " with outstretched wings from a 

 very heavy shower of rain * * * while her 

 own young ones had in the meantime been ex- 

 pelled by the Cuckoo, and were lying lifeless 

 within two inches of her nest." Another in- 

 stance is given wherein two Cuckoos were 

 hatched in a Titlark's nest. " On the third or 

 fourth day after this the young Titlarks were 

 found lying dead on the ground, and the 

 Cuckoos were in possession of the nest." Ulti- 

 mately one of the latter, the weaker of the two, 

 disappeared. 



A German naturalist, Adolf Miiller, of Gladen- 

 bach, writing in a German periodical, " Der 

 Zoologische Garten," in October, 1868, has 



