178 
NATURE NOTES 
as the length of the time on the nest. The cuckoo arrived here at the usual 
time, but the wet weather of May and June seems to have interrupted nesting 
and prolonged it in proportion afterwards. I heard the full note of the cuckoo 
on July II, and the black cap was in full song till July 28. 
White Notley Vicarage, Essex, A. F. CURTIS. 
August 8, 1902. 
So far as my personal experience goes, I have never heard the cuckoo so late 
as this year. All last week we have heard him in this district, and yesterday 
(Sunday afternoon) we heard him constantly for many hours. This morning, 
waking about 3 o’clock, I heard him again for quite a quarter of an hour un- 
interruptedly, and he was still calling when I fell asleep again. I send you this 
“Nature-note” for what it is worth — probably it is not an unusual thing, but it 
is new to my own observation. 
Winander, Station Road, Hendon, E. S. Adeney. 
July, 7, 1902. 
P.S. — Supplementing my note of last week re cuckoo, I heard him here up to 
the loth inst., but not since. 
Hendon, Jtily 13, 1902. 
I am indebted to Mr. Bulman for his interesting notes in the July number 
(p. 138), but as regards Mr. Craig’s theory that, if the cuckoo laid a clutch of eggs 
and built its own nest as most other birds do, it would be in a worse position 
than at present for perpetuating its species owing to the habit of the young 
cuckoo in ejecting its foster brothers or sisters, or eggs, I should like to state that 
I only gave Mr. Craig’s opinion and not my own. I would also point out that in 
my article I gave particulars of the extraordinary strength of the young cuckoo, 
and also laid stress on the fact that there were two young cuckoos in the same 
nest and that not only did the strongest cuckoo eject eggs, young birds, &c., but 
alsoi successfully turned out the other young cuckoo ! Thus, Mr. Bulnian’s opinion, 
that if the cuckoo laid a clutch of eggs and built a nest, the desire implanted in the 
young cuckoo of ejecting an egg or young bird would not be present, is some- 
what discounted by the very facts which I recorded. 
I have recently published a little brochure containing four very remarkable 
illustrations, reproduced from photographs taken direct from Nature, of the young 
cuckoo in the act of ejecting young birds, eggs, &c. , with explanatory letterpress, 
for particulars of which I would refer readers to the Review columns, where I 
have no doubt the book will be duly noticed. 
St. Albans, Herts, W. Percival Westell, M.B.O.U. 
Jtly 23, 1902. 
Scops’ Owl and Ring: Ouzel Nesting in Hertfordshire. — I have 
the pleasure to record the nesting of these two species in Hertfordshire within com- 
paratively recent years. The owl, so far as I can ascertain, has not been known 
to nest in the British Isles heretofore, and is a new species on the Hertfordshire 
list of Aves as well. 
The ring ouzel we get on migration, but it has not been known to have 
previously nested in the county. The precise localities I omit, for obvious 
reasons. 
St. Albans, Herts, W. Percival Westell, M.B.O.U. 
July 23, 1902. 
Nests in Odd Places. — I should like to add another instance of “ nests 
in odd places ” to those mentioned in your issue for August. In March of this 
year a pair of thrushes built in the fork of a small, perfectly leafless tree, near 
the edge of the footpath, a few yards from a large corner public-house, in a 
very busy thoroughfare, where electric Iramcars under over-head trolley-wires are 
running almost continually from 5 a.m. to ii p.m., and where it is estimated 
that 10,000 vehicles are passing every day. The nest was only nine feet from 
the ground, and it would doubtless have been speedily demolished had not a 
police-constable stationed near taken it under his protection, and to such good 
