382 Habits of the Cuckoo. 



haps more frequently than is any other Species of Bird. (288. 

 327.) — Being at the Fryers, Winch ilsea, Sussex, on June 3., the 

 gardener told me he had often seen young cuckoos sitting on 

 the fences, fed by [pied or] water wagtails. He mentioned three 

 years (two successive, and the third at the interval of a year, 

 within the last five) in which he had, and others had, seen 

 this. His words were, — " I have often thought it strange that 

 such a great beast should be fed by such a little one." — 

 W. B. Clarke. Stanley Green, near Poole, Dorsetshire, 

 June 18. 1835. 



Facts and Remarks on the Habits of the. Cuckoo. — I had, a 

 few summers ago, the full means of ascertaining the fact that 

 both sexes of the cuckoo not only utter the call " cuckoo," 

 but also repeat the note described by Mr. Blyth, as " full and 

 melodious. " (VIII. 329.) 



The individual cuckoo whose unusually late departure (on 

 July 28. 1829) I have noticed in III. 154., IV. 466. [Mr. Shep- 

 pard has heard the note of the old cuckoo as late as the last 

 day of July ; see in VIII. 4 1 3.] regularly stationed herself every 

 morning, for several weeks, about 5 o'clock (or probably earlier, 

 as that was the time at which I usually visited my garden), 

 in the top of an elm, on the opposite side of a field adjoining 

 my garden, which tree grew on the bank of the Ouse ; and 

 on this tree the cuckoo would remain an hour, or sometimes 

 considerably more, uttering, at intervals, the call " cuckoo," 

 ten or twelve times in succession ; and then she would pause 

 for a short time, and repeat the call again. She generally 

 uttered the other note on taking her departure from the tree, 

 and, as far as I can recollect, always on the wing ; but then, I 

 generally observed, she was pursued by two, three, and some- 

 times more small birds. She generally took her station in the 

 same tree every evening, and again repeated her call as in the 

 morning.* She was sometimes answered by a male bird from 

 a distant tree, and sometimes by two ; and these were the only 

 three birds of this species in the vicinity of the town. I have 

 sometimes seen both the male birds pursue the female, appa- 



* Whether this particular choice of situation was in consequence of a 

 beautiful echo, formed by the bridge of five arches which crosses the Ouse 

 and the buildings on the margins of the river, I must leave to further ob- 

 servation. This echo repeated any given sound twice distinctly. I think 

 the cuckoo is fond of hearing her own voice repeated ; for I observed a 

 similar fact, some years ago, of a cuckoo (whether male or female I will 

 not pretend to say), which daily, daring my stay of a fortnight in Derby- 

 shire, regularly took its station in a low tree or tall shrub at the entrance 

 of a deep jungle which produced a distinct echo, and which repeated the 

 sound only once. This had a beautiful effect on a fine, still, moonlight 

 evening. [VI. 200., the note.] 



