3988 Birds. 



found it to belong to the Egyptian Corvus Cornix, and containing al- 

 together six eggs. One of the crow's eggs had been recently broken. 

 Among them I at once recognized two smaller eggs, belonging to 

 some other bird, but nearly resembling those of the crow in size and 

 colour. When I arrived at the boat, I perceived that these agreed 

 well with the pieces of the egg extracted from the oviduct of the fe- 

 male cuckoo before mentioned : and, at the same time, in this respect, 

 they confirmed the observations of Herr Pffarr Baldamus, namely, 

 that the egg of the cuckoo (speaking of Cuculus canorus) is always of 

 the colour of the eggs of the nest in which the parasite lays her own ; 

 for the eggs of the greater spotted cuckoo were quite the same in co- 

 lour, though not in size, as those of the crow. They were like the 

 eggs of our magpie, only more rounded and not quite so long. 



This discovery would have been quite sufficient to settle the ques- 

 tion of the mode of reproduction of this cuckoo, but on the 12th of 

 March it was still further confirmed. In one of the village gardens, 

 thickly planted with trees, as is particularly the case in Egypt, I 

 was summoned to the chase by the clear-sounding, but, at the same 

 time, inharmonious cry of an old cuckoo, — "kiekkiek — kiek — kiek." 

 I obtained both the old birds, and soon found a young one also, 

 which was being fed and provided for by hooded crows. After this, 

 I began to ascend to all the crows' nests, and in one of them, in the 

 before-mentioned wood near Siut, was really so fortunate as to find 

 another cuckoo's egg on the 19th of March. Herr Apotheker Bae- 

 decker, of Witten, will forthwith figure these eggs. 



After what I have stated above, every oologist will believe me that 

 the eggs which I have described as those of Cuculus glandarius are 

 genuine ; and, should any one think otherwise, I may perhaps be al- 

 lowed to ask him to publish his reasons for doubting it. 



A. E. Brehm. 



Notes on the Habits of the Green Sandpiper, (Totanus ochropus). — An adult female 

 green sandpiper was killed at.Saham, on the 14th of June last, after having been no- 

 ticed in the vicinity for several days. As this bird was alone, and the breast not 

 denuded from incubation, nor were the eggs at all larger than hemp-seed, it may be 

 inferred that this species breeds very late. This case might be thought an exception, 

 but I have noticed them at Saham and elsewhere, in this county, every month in the 

 year except July, June 14th being the latest date, and August 15th the earliest, that I 

 have observed them. Where they go to breed seems not yet to have been ascertained : 

 the nest has been noticed once in Norfolk, and (as far as I am aware) there is no ac- 

 count of their breeding habits in any ornithological work. As far as my own obseiva- 



