This scene depicts the distant call of a cuckoo, quietly hidden deep within the forest. Trees are paraded on a float, but the cuckoo, being shy, neither emerges nor escapes, thus obviating the need for a birdcage as might be found in the subsequent piece. However, only its call is audible. The clarinet, imitating the cuckoo's call, is performed offstage, thereby creating a sense of distance both visually and acoustically. The piano is played una corda, conveying the dense, fantastical ambiance of the forest through the richness of its chords.