136 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



an egg. I watched the nest then every day to see when the young Cuckoo 

 was hatched. On May 18th I found the young Wagtails were hatching 

 (there were two young ones and one coming out of its shell). Next day 

 (the 19th) I saw the old Cuckoo around the greenhouse several times in the 

 morning, as if she wanted to get in. I left the door open while I went to 

 my dinner, and when I came back I disturbed the old bird, and I found 

 the three young Wagtails and one egg lying on the shelf; one of the young 

 ones was still alive, and a young Cuckoo in the nest not quite out of its 

 shell. Some people have an idea that it is the young Cuckoo that turns 

 the young birds out of the nest, but it is the old Cuckoo that comes and 

 turns the young ones out ; for the young Cuckoo was not quite out of its 

 shell when the Wagtails were lying on the shelf. This is the third year 

 the Wagtail has had its nest in the greenhouse. Last year she brought 

 up two lots of young ones, and two years ago the same as this year. One 

 day there were four young Wagtails in the nest, and the next day they all 

 lay dead on the stage, but a young Cuckoo in the nest; though I did not know 

 it was a Cuckoo's egg, as I thought the old Cuckoo was too shy a bird to 

 enter the greenhouse to lay. When I found the egg this year I kept a 

 good watch to see if I could detect the old Cuckoo feed the young one. It was 

 a common occurrence two years ago to see the old Cuckoo going in and out 

 of the greenhouse by myself and others, including two painters that were 

 at work on the vinery. Close by we saw her with food in her mouth, and I 

 have, with others, kept a good look-out this year to see if we could observe 

 her feed the young one. We saw her many times very close to the door 

 and lights ; but I only saw her twice this year, viz. on May 22nd, when she 

 came out of the top light at 8.30 a.m., and on June 1st, when I saw her 

 come out of the door at 7 a.m. The old Wagtails still kept feeding the 

 young Cuckoo until it was able to fly. — George Williams (gardener to 

 Lady Sitwell, Gosden House, Bramley, Surrey)." 



Notes from Reading (1898).— On April 4th I saw, in the flesh, a male 

 Tufted Duck {Fuligula cristata), shot on the Thames at Sonning. Crossbills 

 have been very abundant this year at Aldermaston, about eight or nine miles 

 from here ; I had a very young one brought to me on May 25th, probably 

 one of a local brood. On April 30tb a very fine adult Lesser Black-backed 

 Gull (Larus fuscus) was shot at the Clappers, Caversham Lock. On July 

 27th I saw a family party of Weasels cross a road near Cane End, in South 

 Oxfordshire. Otters seem to be fairly abundant in the river Kennett ; I 

 saw a young one alive, caught about Jan. 11th last, which is now at the 

 Zoological Gardens. I have also seen a young and an old one in the flesh 

 lately. On December 16th I saw a young male Garganey (Querquedula 

 circia), shot the day before at Theale, a few miles from Reading ; weight, 

 11 oz. ; the blue speculum was a lovely bright colour. I presume it was 



