NOTES AND QUERIES. 155 



the Long-eared Owl will often make use of one of these nests, and rear its 

 young in the midst of the chattering colony. A still more remarkable 

 divergence from the usual nesting habits of Corvus monedula can be seen 

 in a heronry not far from St. Andrews. In this case the Jackdaws, by fair 

 means or foul, have taken possession of many of the Herons' nests, which 

 are built near the top of some very tall larches. When I last visited the 

 place the Herons had, most of them, disappeared — partly owing to many of 

 the nesting trees having been blown down, and partly, I suppose, to the 

 unwarrantable invasion of their quarters by the Jackdaws. I am aware that 

 Jackdaws do occasionally use the lower part of a large Rook's (or even 

 Heron's) nest as a breeding-site, but I have never heard of another instance 

 of actual appropriation such as I have just given. — A. H. Meiklejohn 

 (Kinloch House, St. Andrews, N.B.). 



The Early Life of the Young Cuckoo.— The early stages in the life- 

 history of the young Cuckoo are, as is well known, very interesting, and I 

 hope the following authentic particulars may be found of interest and 

 service : — The egg was found in a Hedge-Sparrow's nest at Potton End, 

 Hemel Hempstead, Herts, on May 17th, 1900. The nest was placed at 

 the bottom of a large disused gravel-pit, overgrown with furze, broom, and 

 brambles, and was about eighteen inches from the ground. It contained 

 three eggs of the Hedge-Sparrow and one of the Cuckoo. On May 29th the 

 Cuckoo and two of the foster-parent's eggs were found to be hatched, and 

 the young Cuckoo was observed to be asserting himself conspicuously even 

 at such an early age. Only two days had elapsed (May 31st) before the 

 young Cuckoo started, and finished, the shovelling-out process. One egg 

 and one young Hedge-Sparrow had just been toppled out of the nest by the 

 Cuckoo with the aid of its hollow back, which is so well suited for this 

 purpose. The remaining young one could not be found high or low, and 

 one wonders whether the voracious young culprit devoured it, or whether the 

 foster-parents carried it away from the nest ? The nest was next visited 

 on June 11th, when the Cuckoo was about fourteen days old. It had 

 made great progress since the last day of May, and the small nest of the 

 bird under whose care it had been placed was quite insufficient to hold it 

 comfortably. Three days after our last visit (June 14th) we found the 

 Cuckoo out of the nest and screeching, when it was about seventeen days 

 old. We thus arrive at the following interesting information : — 



May 17th. — Nest found containing Cuckoo's egg and three Hedge- 

 Sparrow's eggs. 



May 29th. — Cuckoo's and two of the Hedge-Sparrow's eggs hatched. 



May 31st. — Cuckoo ejected the other occupants of nest. One young 

 Hedge-Sparrow missing altogether, 



