THE CUCKOO’S SECRET 
114 
by No. 1 territory. About 11 a.m. I watched for 
five consecutive minutes a male Cuckoo chasing a 
female at a great height — several hundred feet — 
circling over the common and forest. Subse- 
quently upon alighting together he “ cuckoo-ed ” 
very softly to the female in the centre orchard. 
From now onwards, both birds were constantly 
about, the male paying much attention to the 
female. 
On May 1 at 7.30 a.m. I saw the female Cuckoo 
carrying a twig or straw about six inches long and 
being chased by a calling male. This continued 
for over a minute before she dropped it. Now 
here was an action of extraordinary interest and 
one which could lend itself to any amount of 
speculation on the earlier habits of Cuckoos. The 
act of picking up nesting material is a common one 
in the courtship of many species who build nests 
in the ordinary way. 
Shortly afterwards I heard definitely and for the 
first time a second male Cuckoo, but only one was 
in really close attendance upon the female, which in 
certain lights is, to me, readily distinguishable. In 
the early afternoon of May 7, No. 6 Meadow Pipit, 
by fussing round her, disclosed to us the presence 
of a female Cuckoo in the cherry tree G% the tree 
