172 
THE CUCKOO’S SECRET 
but on this evidence she would seemingly have 
laid the ten eggs on the following dates or there- 
abouts : May 14, 18, 20, 22 ; June 5, 7, 15, 17, 
21, and 27. But probably the actual number of 
eggs laid by this Cuckoo exceeded the ten which 
were found. 
The next area was occupied by a Reed Warbler 
Cuckoo and their two territories overlapped. It 
may or may not be significant that the Sedge 
Warbler Cuckoo laid her first four eggs on that 
part of the overlapping territory before the Reed 
Warbler Cuckoo began to lay. After that, the 
former bird kept to her own end of the ground. 
This Reed Warbler Cuckoo laid seven eggs and 
after her first egg, deposited about May 27, she, 
judging from the evidence available, produced the 
remainder on dates approximating the following : 
June 3, 5, 9, 11, 13, 15. 
Occupying the contiguous area was a second 
Reed Warbler Cuckoo which, having laid here for 
the preceding five seasons, produced in 1921 nine 
eggs on apparently these dates : May 17, June 6, 8, 
12, 14, 18, 20, 22, 24. Her seventh egg was deposited 
in a nest which also contained one of a third Reed 
Warbler Cuckoo occupying the adjoining territory. 
The latter bird was apparently un prolific, only 
