THIRD SEASON (1920): RECORD 79 
“ bubble ” of the Cuckoo, seemingly from the 
forest behind Smyth. On rejoining him at 6.30 
he said that he had not seen her leave the cherry 
tree, but he had seen her fly from the adjacent 
centre orchard practically over his head into the 
forest where she twice “ bubbled ” ; her flight 
had resumed the normal, being rapid and less 
heavy. 
I was so disappointed that I even went to the 
cherry tree and searched the ground beneath to 
see if the Cuckoo had dropped her egg. A 
conference was also held to discuss the possibility 
of finding the egg in some nest in the orchard. 
Then it occurred to us that we might just as well 
look at the Tree Pipit’s nest. The hen was on and 
sat up opening her beak at us just like a young 
Cuckoo. We flushed her and there, to our great 
relief, was the Cuckoo’s fifteenth egg and four of 
the fosterer’s. Smyth frankly admitted that the 
egg must have been laid between 6 and 6.30 
when he was alone on guard, despite the fact that 
he could not recollect taking his eyes off the spot 
in the tree where the Cuckoo was sitting. What 
better evidence could there be of the necessity for 
ceaseless concentration when watching a Cuckoo 
about to layjier egg ? 
