THE CUCKOO’S SECRET 
158 
“ After spending most of the morning in a hide 
near the thick crab-apple tree (a favourite Cuckoo 
observation post) hoping to get some film of the 
female Cuckoo in the tree, P. B. Smyth came across 
to tell me that a Cuckoo was moving about on the 
ground in a neighbouring field. We carried the 
hide and my gear across and fixed up the hide near 
the place to which she had been gliding. Smyth 
placed a dummy nest in a line with the hide and the 
Cuckoo’s tree so that I could get her glide. I 
settled down inside the hide to await the blowing 
of the whistle which was to be the signal that she 
had started. The whistle blew, but as I had seen 
her start from the tree I was already turning the 
handle. The Cuckoo glided down but unfor- 
tunately alighted to the left of the hide. As she 
was out of the picture I left off turning and watched 
her instead. She walked about evidently searching 
for a nest and all the time two, sometimes three. 
Pipits were pecking at her, flying on to her, and 
pulling feathers out of her back ; she really did 
very little to stop them, only emitting a curious 
noise, a sort of grunt, apparently in defiance or as 
a warning. For some minutes she continued to 
search and then flew away. 
“ Some minutes later she again glided from her 
tree and alighted in the same place as before. 
Practically the same things happened as previously, 
