130 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



15th. — E.N.E., 4. The Avocets seen again on Breydon muds 

 by Mr. Patterson and Mr. Dye. 



16th. — E. The nine Avocetst still on Breydon, all standing on 

 one leg except a single bird, which was perhaps a cripple ; but soon 

 some of them began to feed, which they did with great avidity, 

 advancing quickly with eager sweeps, and finally, when disturbed, 

 flying away in a compact flock. When first viewed there was 

 just enough water where they were standing to give their re- 

 flections very prettily, together with those of four Black-headed 

 Gulls, which were their only companions. Mr. Hamond and I 

 longed to get near them, but a close approach was not permitted 

 us. Mr. Patterson, who succeeded in getting rather nearer, 

 watched them until the rising tide floated them off their feet, 

 after which they had a lengthy swim, undulating as the moving 

 water passed beneath them. He believes they were feeding on a 

 small univalve (Hydrobia ulvce). The news of their presence 

 soon got abroad, and created some excitement, while that night 

 the watcher had a hard task, as there were two non-respecters of 

 the law in gun-punts following the Avocets about until 11 p.m., 

 when it was too dark to see them ; no shot was fired, I am 

 glad to say. 



17th. — S.E., 3. The Avocets were last seen in the moonlight 

 at 10 p.m., and were quite visible to the watcher, but he thinks 

 they must have left that night ; and Mr. Dye believes they took 

 their departure in a thunderstorm. Next morning the wind had 

 changed to the west. 



Cuckoo Notes. — June 22nd. The gardener discovered a Cuckoo's 

 egg in a Hedge-Accentor's nest, deftly built in a currant-bush on 

 our garden-wall. Very likely this egg had been laid by the 

 Cuckoo whose offspring and their proceedings formed the subject of 

 a previous paper (Zool. 1905, p. 164) . With the Cuckoo's egg were 

 also two Accentor's eggs, while about ten yards from the nest there 

 lay the blue shell of another broken Accentor's egg, presumably 

 removed by the old Cuckoo, and dropped on the ground. The 

 Cuckoo's egg, being tried in water, was found to be fresh, and, as 

 I concluded it could not hatch for a week, we did not disturb the 

 nest any more. 



July 4th. — 11 a.m. One Accentor hatched, and the young 

 Cuckoo also. The little Cuckoo is pale flesh-colour, and already 



