44 
THE CUCKOO’S SECRET 
saw Cuckoo A fly up from the nest and, upon inspection, 
found that she had deposited her seventeenth egg in exchange 
for the only Pipit’s egg. Replaced the Cuckoo’s egg with 
a Pipit’s egg. 
Thursday, June 17. — In the morning the Pipit had laid 
her second egg but the only sign of the other egg was the 
yolk adhering to the newly-laid one. Here again I suggest 
that, resenting the Cuckoo’s intrusion, the fosterer upon 
returning to her nest after the Cuckoo’s visit of the previous 
evening, may have destroyed the egg I had placed in the 
nest, albeit using the nest for the laying of her egg the 
following morning — an almost invariable practice of the 
Meadow Pipit if eggs are removed before the clutch has 
been completed. Subsequently the fosterer laid no more 
eggs in this nest. 
Fifth Nest (2). 
Thursday , June 24, 3.45 p.m . — We saw the Cuckoo fly 
down to the ground and on going to the spot found the 
Pipit’s nest with one egg. 
Friday, June 25. — Two eggs of fosterer in the nest. 
Saturday, June 26. — In the morning there were still 
only two eggs, and at 2.45 p.m. the Cuckoo again flew down 
to the nest but left the two eggs undisturbed. However, 
at 6 p.m. there was only one egg there, the Pipit again, 
presumably resenting continual interference, had removed 
one of her own eggs, although it looked as though the nest 
had been deserted previously, seeing that a third egg had 
not been laid that morning. 
Sunday, June 27. — There being still only one egg in the 
nest I removed it and replaced it by four fresh Pipits’ eggs 
brought from C Hill (10-15 m iles away). Up to 
4.30 p.m. the Cuckoo had not been seen again to visit the 
nest and for the rest of the day a steady downpour set in. 
