It was the middle of April this year when we first heard the cuckoo. We love to hear it, for it tells us that spring has come. This year, we were very lucky. We saw a young cuckoo grow up in his nest.

This is how it happened.

We had heard the cuckoo for some time, cuck-oo, cuck-oo, and it seemed as if many cuckoos were singing. One day we heard such a funny noise, like kik-kik-kik. “Ah!” said Peggy, “father says that is the cry of the cuckoo which lays the eggs. That is why there are so many cuckoos about. They are singing to her.”

“Well then, “ said Peter, “if she stops here, perhaps we may find one of her eggs. I do so want to see a young cuckoo.

About a week after this, Peter found a little titlark’s nest. (Country children call pipits titlarks). It was in a tuft of grass, on the bank, near the wood. Two small dull-grey eggs, spotted with brown, were lying in the nest. The next day, as we went to school, there were three eggs. The nest morning there were four. But as we came back from school that afternoon, there were five eggs.

“The titlark cannot have laid two eggs in one day”, said Peter. “I wonder if the ckoo has brought one of her eggs here.”
For we know that the cuckoo lays her eggs on the ground, and brings it in her wide beak to the nest of some other bird. We looked every day for a fortnight. The little titlark was so used to our coming, that she did not even fly off the nest. She was a pretty little bird, with brown spotted wings and a yellow throat and chin.

At the end of a fortnight, two little titlarks came out of their shells, and the next day, two more. They opened their beaks for food, and the father titlark flew out to the field, and brought flies and caterpillars to feed them. But the mother still sat on the fifth egg.

Two days later, the fifth bird came out. It had a curved beak, and bent toes with short, sharp claws. Its toes were two in front and two at the back. Titlarks have straight beaks and flat toes, three in the front and one at the back. So we knew our young cuckoo by his beak and toes.