86 
NATURE NOTES 
many people, the more so when one considers how extremely 
difficult it is to accomplish such a feat, but owing to his well- 
directed enthusiasm, patience, care, knowledge of his subject and 
whole-heartedness, he has placed bird-lovers under a deep obliga- 
tion to him, and, as Dr. Japp says in his recently published book, 
“ whom all the world will thank for so far decisively setting this 
matter at rest.” 
On June 2, 1899, Mr. Craig found a meadow-pipit’s nest 
containing two cuckoo’s eggs and three pipit’s. One of the 
latter eggs was broken to ascertain how far incubation was 
advanced, so that he would know about when to return to resume 
his observations. 
A diversity of opinion arises as to whether the two eggs were 
deposited by the same cuckoo, but the opinion of Mr. Craig, and 
also of the writer, is that they were deposited by different 
cuckoos. The eggs were different in colour, size, and shape ; but 
it must not be assumed from this that I am of opinion that the 
same identical bird could not lay eggs quite as different in 
marking, colour and shape. 
It is rare that the meadow-pipit lays a clutch of eggs 
numbering less than four, and this being so it is reasonable to 
suppose that the cuckoo (or cuckoos) when depositing the eggs 
had taken away one or more of the pipit’s, leaving five in all, 
that is, including the two cuckoo’s. 
On June 6 the eggs were still unhatched, but two days later 
both the cuckoos were out of the shells, and one of the pipit’s 
eggs was found lying outside the nest, and the other remaining 
pipit’s (as Mr. Craig had already broken one of the eggs only two 
remained) was also missing, probably it had been turned out of 
the nest by one of the young cuckoos and carried away by the 
parents. 
The two young cuckoos appeared at first to be quite happy 
together, but a struggle of extraordinary violence was soon 
commenced between the two birds. What was apparently the 
stronger bird of the two got what was evidently the weaker on 
its back and strained every muscle to hoist it to the top of the 
nest, while the other was holding on to the nest with its claws 
for all it was worth. After a severe struggle they both became 
exhausted and went to the bottom of the nest, but after a short 
respite the battle was again commenced time after time, each 
bird fighting for dear life. 
On visiting the nest the following day (June 9) one of the 
cuckoos was found outside the nest. Before putting it in again 
a young pipit was secured and put in the nest. The cuckoo 
hoisted it again and again on its back and climbed up the side 
of the nest backwards with it, but the pipit always got jammed 
near the top. The other cuckoo was then put in again and a 
desperate struggle was witnessed. Sometimes the birds put 
their bills and heads against the opposite side of the nest when 
commencing to climb, to get more pressure. Several times the 
