164 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



DIAKY OF OBSEKVATIONS ON A YOUNG CUCKOO 

 (CUCULUS CANORUS). 



By J. H. Gurney, F.Z.S. 



May 22nd, 1904. — A boy found a Cuckoo's egg with three 

 Hedge-Accentor's eggs in nest in a thorn-hedge near my house 

 at Keswick (near Norwich), very convenient to keep under observ- 

 ation. As I had never before had such a good opportunity, I 

 determined to institute a close watch, and see what events would 

 follow. 



23rd. — Probably the Cuckoo has already removed one or two 

 of the Accentor's eggs, yet a search into. and under the hedge 

 shows no signs of them. The Cuckoo's egg is of an ordinary 

 brown type, as usual not bearing the slightest resemblance to 

 the Accentor's eggs. 



30th. — The Accentor has been sitting hard since the 22nd, 

 and it has not been thought safe to put her off more than 

 once a day. The cock Accentor appears occasionally, but no 

 Cuckoo has been seen in the vicinity of the nest, although an 

 old male Cuckoo is often to be heard calling about half a mile 

 away. 



31st. — One Accentor's egg is hatched, but the young one has 

 disappeared, and the shell of its egg too, carried away perhaps 

 by the old Accentor. 



June 2nd. — 8 a.m. First visit to the nest: the Cuckoo's 

 egg is«hatched, and its tiny occupant probably already three 

 or four hours old. The two remaining Accentor's eggs are 

 hatched also. 



12 a.m. At midday I put off the Accentor for the pur- 

 pose of examining the Cuckoo. It was entirely devoid of 

 down, of which the nestling Accentors had already consider- 

 able tufts on their heads, and seemed very helpless as it lay 

 with its head under the young Accentors. Nevertheless, 



