"THE CUCKOO'S SECRET."
[To THE EDITOR 07 THE " SPECTATOR."1 have just been reading your remarks on The Cuckoo's Secret, by Edgar Chance, and while I have not yet read the book itself, I cannot refrain from saying that perhaps Mr. Chance has not quite solved the mystery. Some years ago I had the pleasure of spending several afternoons with Mr. Hart at Christchurch (Hants), a most interesting man who had then been for sixty years studying the birds and beasts of his neigh- bourhood. He had possibly 130 cuckoo eggs, and in each case one of the eggs from tho same nest, but laid by the rightful owner. Now, amongst these other eggs was that of a wren. Mamma cuckoo could not possibly have laid her egg in a wren's nest. She must have laid it outside the nest, and taking it in her beak popped it through the little hole into the wren's nest. Even in this case mamma cuckoo had probably looked in first, because there was clearly an attempt to conform to the colour and marking of a wren's egg, although, of course, the dispro- portion in size was ludicrous. I wonder if Mr. Hart could be. induced to give you his views. He is an old man, but four years ago was halo and hearty.—I am, Sir, &c.,
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