512 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



position. Two more eggs were laid by the 25th inst, and were left in situ 

 quo, but had disappeared somehow the next morning. The bird deposited 

 another on the 26th inst., to which were added two eggs of the House 

 Sparrow, to make up for those that were missing ; all the three, however, 

 lay broken at the foot of the tree on the following morning. She then 

 seemed to settle down to regular business, and continued laying every day 

 without intermission, each egg being removed as soon as laid, the total 

 number up to July 17th reaching sixty-two, less the three that were broken 

 or missing, leaving fifty-nine eggs in my possession from the one bird, 

 which I fancy must establish a record. Concurrently with this another 

 bird was laying in an adjacent plantation, but in a more erratic fashion, 

 the eggs in this case being removed in batches of four and five. On two 

 occasions she stopped laying for a day or two, and then continued depositing 

 again ; total number of eggs forty-three. Yarrell mentions an instance on 

 the authority of a Mr. Salmon, who states he took no less than twenty-two 

 eggs from a Wryneck that had laid on a Redstart's nest of the preceding 

 year. Not being easy of access from above, the nest was bodily removed by 

 means of a very convenient hole at the bottom no less than five times before 

 it was finally abandoned. Again, in ■ Lloyd's Natural History ' we find 

 another case recorded by a Mr. Norgate of a Wryneck laying forty-two eggs 

 for two years in succession (1872-73) ; as Mr. Seebohm remarks in 1874, 

 11 her reproductive powers were apparently exhausted, as only one egg was 

 laid, and in 1875 the place was deserted." No doubt there may be many 

 other parallel instances, and I should be glad to know if anyone has heard 

 of the larger number, viz. sixty-two, having been either equalled or sur- 

 passed. It seems such an extraordinary number that it is certainly worthy 

 of being placed on record.— H. Alderson (Hilda Vale Road, Farnborough). 



Popular Fallacy concerning the Cuckoo. — Perhaps the following 

 rhyme may be of interest to Mr. Davenport (if not already known to him) 

 and others, as it may possibly explain the origin of the popular fallacy con- 

 cerning the Cuckoo sucking the eggs of other birds. The rhyme is said to 

 be well known in the midlands : — 



" The Cuckoo is a merry bird, 



She sings as she flies ;* 



She brings us good tidings, 



And tells us no lies. 



She sucks little bird's eggs 



To make her voice clear, 



That she may sing Cuckoo 



Three months in the year." 

 »~-C. B. Horsbrugh (Richmond Hill, Bath). 



* See ' The Zoologist,' 1894, pp. 264, 306, 307, 308, 338, 340. 



