358 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



abundance in quest of larvse of the Gooseberry Moth. I have found 

 the egg of the Cuckoo in the nest of the Whinchat, but never found 

 one in this case which can be said to have approximated in the 

 least degree to that of the dupe. It is remarkable that the blue egg 

 of the Cuckoo is so exceedingly rare in Britain, and yet comparatively 

 common in some parts of the Continent, and is strange, passing 

 strange, that in those species which are commonly victimized by the 

 Cuckoo in Britain, with the exception of the Hedge- Sparrow, the 

 eggs are marvellously protective in colouration. We may, however, 

 be sure that the egg of the Cuckoo has already undergone, and is at 

 present undergoing, a process of adaptation in colouration, not by 

 the volitional power of the Cuckoo, as has been supposed, but by the 

 fosterers elimitating those eggs of the dupe which contrast most 

 markedly with those of the rightful owners, and by this means those 

 Cuckoos which lay badly matched eggs will gradually die out. It 

 would be interesting to know whether the Cuckoo in Britain lays its 

 egg in the nest of the Hedge- Sparrow as commonly as was formerly 

 the case. — E. P. Buttbefield (Wilsden). 



PISCES. 



Tameness in Several Blennies. — It is well known that the 

 Common Blenny or Shanny (Blennius pholis) is an unusually 

 intelligent fish, and that it soon becomes tame in an aquarium, 

 but records of the precise length of time which may elapse before 

 the Blenny begins to watch for food and to come to be fed from the 

 hand are rarely made. The following facts seem to me to be note- 

 worthy : — (1) A recently caught^Blenny was placed in an aquarium 

 which contained several tame individuals. It watched, from the 

 shelter of a rock, the other Blennies crowding to the surface to be 

 fed with beef from my fingers on the second day of its residence in 

 the aquarium. On the third day no food was offered to the fishes, 

 but on the fourth day the newcomer swam up with the others to be 

 fed, without showing any fear. (2) Two Blennies werejplaced in an 

 empty tank on May 3rd, and on the following morning they were 

 each given in wooden feeding-forceps a piece of beef, which they 

 took after a little hesitation. On their fourth day they were given 

 more beef, which they took eagerly. From then until the present 

 time (July 17th) they have always come up to the surface to be fed 

 whenever the cover of the aquarium is removed. A third Blenny 

 was put into their tank on July 1st. It watched the others, and 

 came up to be fed on its second day. All the Blennies studied by 



