72 
NATURE NOTES 
on May 17, 1900. The nest was placed at the bottom of a large disused gravel- 
jut, overgrown with furze, broom and brambles, and was about eighteen inches 
from the ground. It contained three eggs of the hedge-sparrow and one cuckoo’s. 
On May 29 the cuckoo and two of the foster parent’s eggs were found to be 
hatched, and the young cuckoo was observed to be asserting himself con- 
spicuously even at such an early age. Only two days had elapsed (.May 31) 
before the unruly young rascal started, and finished, the shovelling-out process. 
One egg and one young hedge-sparrow had just been toppled out of the nest by 
the cuckoo wdth the aid of its hollow back, which is so well suited for this 
purpose. The remaining young one could not be found high nor low, and one 
wonders whether the voracious young culprit devoured it, or did the foster parents 
carry it away from the nest ? The ne.xt was visited on June ll, when the cuckoo 
w'ould be about fourteen days old. He had made great progress since the last 
day of May, and the small nest of the bird under whose care he had been placed 
was quite insufficient to hold him comfortably. Three days after our last visit 
(June 14) we found the cuckoo out of the nest and screeching, when he would be 
about seventeen days old. We thus arrive at the following interesting informa- 
tion. May 17 ; Nest found containing cuckoo’s egg and three hedge-sparrow’s 
eggs. May 29 : Cuckoo’s and two of the hedge-sparrow’s eggs hatched. May 
31 : Cuckoo ejected the other occupants of nest. One young hedge-sparrow 
missing altogether. June 11 : Cuckoo the sole occupant of nest, and fully- 
fledged. June 14 : Cuckoo out of the nest and screeching. 
It may be interesting for me to state that I have a series of excellent photo- 
graphs illustrating the various stages described abov-e, which will be produced in a 
forthcoming natural history work from my pen. 
Sc. Albans, Herts. W. Percivai, Westell, M.B.O.U. 
March 12, 1 901. 
Cuckoos. — relation of mine hearing a fluttering noise in a hollow tree 
last autumn, found it was caused by the attempts of a young cuckoo to escape 
from the nest in w'hich it was born by a hole in the tree too small for its body. 
The hole was enlarged and the bird liberated. This shows that cuckoos 
sometimes employ other means for introducing their eggs into the nests of little 
birds, besides the ordinary process of laying. 
Edmund Thomas Daubeny. 
Birds “ Dipping.” — This afternoon I saw' birds “ dipping ” after the manner 
of swallows in a pool. The species I noticed doing this were chiff-chaffs, a cock- 
chaffinch and pied and grey wagtails. I do not think they could have done it 
for the purpose of drinking, as, the pool having mud banks in it, this could have 
been done in the ordinary method. I fancy that there must have been food of 
some kind, probably insects, floating on the surface of the water, but I was unable 
to ascertain what this food was. 
Penzance, February 17, 1901. Arthur W. Hext Harvey. 
Rooks. — My attention has been particularly attracted lately by some rooks 
which are forming a rookery in some young elm trees. Three years ago there 
were no nests there, but the next year a solitary nest was formed by a pair of 
rooks, and last year these pioneers of rook civilisation were joined by another 
pair, which built their nest and reared their young in an adjoining tree. This 
j-ear no fewer than five new nests are being built. For some days the new birds — 
which, by the way, are young ones — have been sitting around the other nests 
evidently intently watching the repairing operations of their elders in order to 
jrick up some “ tips” on nest-building. Once I saw two young birds go into one 
of the nests of the old birds, who, however, made no remonstrance. Personally 
1 think they did this to examine the structure of the nest, and learn how to make 
one themselves. Anyway on the next day a fresh nest had been started within 
a few feet of the old one, and though, of course, I could not be positive as to the 
identity of the birds, I think they are the same. It is a rather curious thing that 
five new nests should have been commenced this season, as this would exactly 
correspond with the number of the birds hatched in the last and previous years’ 
nests, as in my experience the rook’s clutch usually consists of five eggs. Since 
writing the above a heavy gale has blown away the oldest nest in this new rookery. 
Penzance, March i, 1901. Arthur \V. Hext Harvey. 
