237 



NOTES ON THE CUCKOO. 



ALFRED CRAWHALL CHAPMAN. 



As information is still required concerning some of the habits of the 

 Cuckoo (Cuculus canoriis), perhaps the following particulars may be 

 of interest : — In the year 1874, I used often to explore the reed-beds 

 on the side of the river Avon, in Warwickshire, where Reed Warblers 

 bred in considerable numbers. The patches of reeds were only of 

 limited area, and it was not difficult to find the Warbler's nest. One 

 day we found a Cuckoo's egg in one of the nests, and the next day 

 we found another. These two eggs were precisely alike, both in size, 

 outline, and colour. We took them both. When passing the place 

 about a week after, we again looked into the reed-beds and found a 

 third Cuckoo's egg, an exact fac simile of the two already obtained. 

 We took this egg, and in another nest of the Reed Warbler, contain- 

 ing only one of its own eggs, we substitued an egg of the Sedge 

 Warbler, taking that of the Reed Warbler away with us. The next 

 morning I went to see if the bird had forsaken, and was astonished 

 to find a fourth egg of the Cuckoo placed alongside the single Sedge 

 Warbler's egg in the Reed Warbler's nest. This egg also exactly 

 resembled the three already obtained, and it should be mentioned 

 that all these four eggs of the Cuckoo were deposited within a space 

 of about 200 yards. 



Without rushing to any conclusions, I think we have here pretty 

 strong, though purely circumstantial, evidence that the Cuckoo lays 

 more than one egg during the season, and it would also appear, 

 unless evidence to the contrary is forthcoming, that the eggs forming 

 the Cuckoo's clutch resemble each other, as is generally the case in 

 most clutches of other birds'* eggs. It is well known that Reed 

 Warblers lay two distinct types of egg, a dark variety and a light 

 variety; the former by far the most common, being thickly blotched 

 with a dull green on a white ground, the latter, which I think is rare, 

 having very pale purple blotches on the white ground. I have only 

 seen two nests of the Reed Warbler containing the latter type of egg, 

 and, strange to say, two out of the four Cuckoo's eggs obtained were 

 deposited alongside these pale varieties. From this, it might appear 

 that the Cuckoo selected these nests purposely, in order to assimilate 

 as much as possible her egg with those already in the nest. I might 

 mention that the four Cuckoo's eggs were all very light coloured, not 

 unlike those of the Pied Wagtail, but essentially differing from the 

 first mentioned dark variety of the Reed Warbler. 



Aug. 1886. 



