Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 3 (1899).djvu/160

136 an egg. I watched the nest then every day to see when the young Cuckoo was hatched. On May 18th I found the young Wagtails were hatching (there were two young ones and one coming out of its shell). Next day (the 19th) I saw the old Cuckoo around the greenhouse several times in the morning, as if she wanted to get in. I left the door open while I went to my dinner, and when I came back I disturbed the old bird, and I found the three young Wagtails and one egg lying on the shelf; one of the young ones was still alive, and a young Cuckoo in the nest not quite out of its shell. Some people have an idea that it is the young Cuckoo that turns the young birds out of the nest, but it is the old Cuckoo that comes and turns the young ones out; for the young Cuckoo was not quite out of its shell when the Wagtails were lying on the shelf. This is the third year the Wagtail has had its nest in the greenhouse. Last year she brought up two lots of young ones, and two years ago the same as this year. One day there were four young Wagtails in the nest, and the next day they all lay dead on the stage, but a young Cuckoo in the nest; though I did not know it was a Cuckoo's egg, as I thought the old Cuckoo was too shy a bird to enter the greenhouse to lay. When I found the egg this year I kept a good watch to see if I could detect the old Cuckoo feed the young one. It was a common occurrence two years ago to see the old Cuckoo going in and out of the greenhouse by myself and others, including two painters that were at work on the vinery. Close by we saw her with food in her mouth, and I have, with others, kept a good look-out this year to see if we could observe her feed the young one. We saw her many times very close to the door and lights; but I only saw her twice this year, viz. on May 22nd, when she came out of the top light at 8.30 a.m., and on June 1st, when I saw her come out of the door at 7 a.m. The old Wagtails still kept feeding the young Cuckoo until it was able to fly.— (gardener to Lady Sitwell, Gosden House, Bramley, Surrey)."

Notes from Reading (1898).—On April 4th I saw, in the flesh, a male Tufted Duck (Fuligula cristata), shot on the Thames at Sonning. Crossbills have been very abundant this year at Aldermaston, about eight or nine miles from here; I had a very young one brought to me on May 25th, probably one of a local brood. On April 30th a very fine adult Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) was shot at the Clappers, Caversham Lock. On July 27th I saw a family party of Weasels cross a road near Cane End, in South Oxfordshire. Otters seem to be fairly abundant in the river Kennett; I saw a young one alive, caught about Jan. 11th last, which is now at the Zoological Gardens. I have also seen a young and an old one in the flesh lately. On December 16th I saw a young male Garganey (Querquedula circia), shot the day before at Theale, a few miles from Reading; weight, 11 oz.; the blue speculum was a lovely bright colour. I presume it was