Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 2 (1898).djvu/464

432 peculiar sight it was to see this pretty specimen of a bird courting care from the little Twites. One could not wish to see a better sight than the graceful form of its flight during the latter part of the time. It improved in flying during the week. A Kestrel soaring nearly caused some little hubbub on one occasion, the Cuckoo's cries, evidently showing that it wanted protection from its little guardians, drawing our attention to the matter, which was interesting to us. The last appearance of this bird was on Aug. 15th, by which time the peculiar "cheep" of its voice had changed to a sort of croak. It had become a beautiful specimen of its kind, and attained the power of a most graceful flight. The foster-birds were still in attendance. Three were seen on a moor in the neighbourhood on Aug. 12th. One being seemingly larger than the others, there were some grounds. for supposing that the former was an old one, the latter young ones. That is all that I know as to the latest date of their presence or waygoing. The season being late, they would probably have been here at a later date than usual; their departure being a mystery to me. Whether the young have instinctive powers to lead them the proper course of themselves, or the old wait in whole or in part—that is, parents wait on offspring, or casual stragglers pick up young right and left—this year at least the old birds had generally disappeared before these young ones referred to were able to follow. How far they may go at first is also worthy of notice, as they may only remove in stages of a few miles at a time from this part, seeing that they appear much later in the milder parts of the kingdom. Then, as they do not pair, as is believed, would the males move away before the females? The latter might be kept waiting for or with their young, but—and as others who are polygamous have males which show more or less interest in the offspring of their species — we cannot conclude that the males do not equal in interest the females. In short, the point being debated whether the old take any interest after depositing the egg, it is just possible that the males would equal the females in showing attention, which latter has been proved to have been shown to young at various times. When the attachment continues so long towards the foster-birds, it would be interesting to know how they parted company. Would the youngster by a long flight leave behind such foster-birds as those we have been speaking of, who live in small space, or would the latter shake the former off in due time? There is also the point, would one of the old Cuckoos appear in due course, or is the whole thing a matter of mere accident?

Then I have to say about the clearing away of the eggs or young of the foster-birds. In the two cases this year it is pretty clear that neither was done by the young Cuckoos—one being impossible, the other most improbable. It must have been either the old Cuckoo or the foster birds that had cleared away the young in one case, the eggs in another, to make room