THE CUCKOO’S SECRET 
130 
The Laying of the Seventh Egg , May 26. 
According to our arrangements we hoped that 
the Cuckoo would to-day lay her seventh egg in 
the third nest of No. 7 pair of Meadow Pipits and 
her eighth egg on the 28th in the third nest of 
No. 4 pair. But it will be seen that our anticipa- 
tions were not quite accurate. 
We fixed up the hides near No. 7 nest : Hawkins’ 
at a distance of 10 yards from the nest, so that it 
lay directly between him and the tree in the centre 
orchard from which the Cuckoo would probably 
glide ; Miss Turner’s at right angles at a distance 
of 5-6 yards. Shortly after 12 o’clock the two 
photographers entered their respective hides. 
Meanwhile the Cuckoo took up her post in the 
expected tall tree B. Unaware of this, at 1.30 I 
flushed her from this tree ; but she soon returned 
and thereafter sat motionless looking towards 
No. 7’s nest until at 2.10 she floated down, alighted 
near the nest, but immediately rose and flapped 
heavily away like an owl, and several small birds, 
including some swallows, circled excitedly around 
her. Hawkins cinematographed the Cuckoo on 
this glide successfully. 
Almost immediately the Cuckoo returned with 
laboured flight to her tree in the centre orchard. 
