6 
THE CUCKOO’S SECRET 
In view of the claim I have put forward above, 
it is interesting to note that in the course of his 
book Rey remarks — 
“ As is only natural, the removal of eggs from 
nests by Cuckoos has only very rarely been directly 
observed, as it is only by accident that so shy and 
cautious a bird as the Cuckoo allows itself to be 
spied upon in its doings.” 
“ Only by accident ”— in 1892 ; but now, 
within thirty years of Rey’s statement, we have 
acquired such a control over the actions of a 
Cuckoo, that, on many occasions, after prophesying 
the day and hour when she would lay, and the very 
nest in which she would deposit her egg, we have 
seen the forecast accurately fulfilled. 
Another quotation from Rey, this time from his 
preface, is also appropriate — 
“ My object was not so much to collect a large 
number of eggs as to make special investigation 
with regard to a few points in connection with 
the domestic economy of the Cuckoo which still 
required illustration ; and I was of opinion that 
I could attain my object better by making a 
thorough examination of a small territory than by 
means of a superficial investigation of more exten- 
sive areas.” 
