72 
THE CUCKOO’S SECRET 
above it whilst the Cuckoo was laying. The 
question as to the removal of one of their four eggs 
between noon on June 5 and 10 a.m. on June 6 is 
fully dealt with in an ensuing chapter. Suffice it 
to say here that this egg was taken away either by 
the Cuckoo or by one of the Meadow Pipits them- 
selves. From later notes it will be seen that on 
both the subsequent occasions when this particular 
pair of fosterers was revisited at its repeat nests by 
the Cuckoo, the nest was deserted after having an 
egg removed in circumstances which at least in one 
case point to the removal being the act of the 
harassed fosterer. 
At 3 p.m. an occupant of one of the neighbouring 
cottages had come to report the finding by his little 
boy of a Wryneck’s # nest with ten eggs. On leaving 
us they stumbled upon the new nest of No. 6 pair 
which already contained one egg, although the 
previous nest had only been taken four days ago — 
about the quickest restart that has as yet come 
within my experience. A suitable reward was 
promptly offered for the nest to be left undisturbed, 
because it was even then apparent that this might 
be the only nest available for the Cuckoo’s four- 
teenth egg due to be laid two days hence. 
* lynx torquilla , L. 
