1774 Birds. 



Does the Cuckow carry its Eggs P — There is an interesting point in the habits of 

 the cuckow, which perhaps some of the readers of the ' Zoologist ' may be able to de- 

 cide from their own experience. I mean the mode in which it conveys its eggs into 

 the nests of the birds to whose care it confides them : it seems probable it carries 

 them in its mouth. If I remember right, Le Vaillant shot a species of cuckow in 

 Africa, with one of its own eggs in its throat. Mr. Williamson, of the Scarborough 

 Museum, informed me, several years ago, that he had found a cuckow's egg in a nest, 

 which was placed so close under a hedge, that the cuckow could not possibly have 

 got into it; and this morning I purchased a cuckow's egg from Mr. Bartlett, of Little 

 Russell-street, which he had found himself (I believe last year) in a robin's nest that 

 was placed in so small a hole, that he believed the cuckow must have put her tail 

 over her head, and backed in. By the bye, rather a curious point connected with this 

 case is, that the robin's eggs were nearly ready to hatch, whilst the cuckow's seemed 

 not to have been sat upon many days ; an apparent carelessness, or want of discrimina- 

 tion on the part of the cuckow. Mr. B., at first glance into the nest, thought some 

 one had put a nightingale's egg into it, but it is a most unmistakeable cuckow's. An 

 American nightjar, having had its eggs disturbed, has been seen to take them up in 

 its claws, and fly away. Probably, many birds move their eggs in the same way. 

 But that the cuckow carries its eggs in its mouth or throat, is not rendered less pro- 

 bable by the common report that it sucks eggs to clear its voice. — T. Wolley ; Mount 

 Street, Grosvenor Square, May 1st, 1847. 



Date of the Cuckow's Arrival at Whitehaven. — The cuckow was heard in this 

 neighbourhood as early as the 27th of April. — John Dixon ; 3, Duke Street, White- 

 haven, May 9th, 1847. 



On Jackdaws Nests. Do Birds of the Crow tribe cover their Eggs P — I have a fact 

 to offer on this disputed point. About ten days ago Henry Walter and myself 

 amused ourselves by climbing up to jackdaws' nests, placed in holes in the trees, 

 about Bearwood, which is on the borders of Windsor Forest. In the course of three 

 days we must have examined several score of nests. On the first day none of the 

 eggs were covered ; but on the second and third days, we found that several of the nests 

 that had been visited before, now had their eggs either partially covered by loose 

 pieces of wool, or the eggs, in some cases, were nearly buried in the woolly lining of 

 the nest ; and this, whether the bird had just flown from the nest or not. So far on 

 this much quarrelled subject.* With respect to the make of the nests, it is curious 

 how they were adapted to circumstances ; in some cases, only a little wool and such 

 like soft materials ; in others, a monstrous pile of sticks to stop some inconvenient ca- 

 vity of the tree. Mr. Jesse tells the story of the extraordinary nest in the bell turret 

 at Eton ; I saw it myself, and it really was almost beyond belief : many people 

 thought Gray, the sly old clerk, had built it ; but there is no doubt it was entirely the 

 work of the birds. It was remarkable in not being of a pyramid shape, but taking 

 its rise from two or three steps of the circular stairs it was built up compactly, and of a 

 nearly uniform breadth, to a lancet window in the perpendicular wall, the bottom of 

 which window was not otherwise sufficiently wide to support a nest. I forget the 

 whole height of the nest, but I should guess not less than nine feet. It was unfortu- 

 nately removed not long after it was built, though in the mean time it was a matter of 



* By Mr. Waterton and others. Vide ' Magazine of Natural History.' 



