ANOTHER COMMON (1921) 159 
and, after a few minutes of unsuccessful search, she 
again flew away. Smyth then came across to me, 
and we decided to move the dummy nest to a spot 
near to where she alighted on the two previous occa- 
sions ; the nest, containing three eggs, was placed 
in a most open spot where from the hide 1 had 
an entirely uninterrupted view. The whistle blew 
and I started to turn the handle of the camera, but 
soon stopped as the Cuckoo alighted just outside 
the area covered by the lens. She pottered about, 
still heckled by the Pipits. At one time I noticed 
a Pipit with its beak full of Cuckoo’s feathers, 
distinctly proving its antipathy to Cuckoos prowling 
around its neighbourhood. The Cuckoo continued 
to search, at one time going quite fifteen yards 
away from me. Eventually she came towards me 
again, Smyth having walked round into her view 
and slightly frightened her so that she took a short 
flight of ten yards. She still searched, until at last 
she saw the nest. She ran to it, dived her head 
into it and then pushed herself forward until she 
lay right on the nest, her tail being towards me and 
her head practically in the heather at the back of 
the nest. For eight to ten seconds she lay perfectly 
still, looking for all the world like a pigeon. I am 
not sure what the Pipits were doing at this time 
for I was concentrating on the Cuckoo. She then 
flew right off the nest and disappeared from my 
