MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES. 233 



its usual time of appearance. I thought every person acquainted with country 

 life was aware that the Hedge Sparrow, (Accentor,) and Wagtail were 

 generally selected as the foster parents of the young Cuckoo j indeed, among 

 our large woods in Hampshire, where the Cuckoo is so common, the Hedge 

 Sparrow is most often the parent. No instance of a young Cuckoo being 

 found in a Titlark's nest ever came to my knowledge till one of the men 

 here, in cutting some grass among the young trees, happened to wound the 

 young bird in the nest; the Titlark was flying round with food. I am, 

 however, informed that the Titlark's nest is mostly selected for this purpose 

 in South Devon. A young Cuckoo was hatched in a Wagtail's nest, close 

 by the steps of a small pond in the flower garden at Highclere; it became 

 remarkably tame, and remained on the lawn during a great part of the 

 summer. I recollect Lord Carnarvon, and the company visiting Highclere 

 House, being much amused by the singular way in which it was fed. As 

 the bird grew larger, it of course required more food, and the poor little 

 Wagtails were kept busily employed flying about, and nearly every minute 

 one or other alighted on the Cuckoo's back, when it turned its head round 

 and opened its large beak to be fed. I thought at the time it would form 

 a very pretty subject for an artist; and if this is common, I wonder advantage 

 has not been taken of it, for it would form a very pleasing picture. — James 

 Carton, Gardeners Journal, October 4th., 1851. ' 



Note on the CucJcoo, (Cuculus canorus.) — In a hole four inches and a half 

 high, three inches and a half wide, ten inches deep, and four feet from the 

 ground, in the wall of a dwelling-house, and not thirty feet from the entrance 

 door, where people are continually passing and repassing the whole of the 

 day, in the parish of Walton, the property of the Marquis of Bath, last 

 year a Cuckoo laid her egg in the nest of a Robin. The Robin's eggs were 

 thrown out, and the Cuckoo was hatched and fed till she became too large 

 for her contracted habitation, when she worked herself out, and fell on the 

 ground, from whence she was removed, and put into a cage and hung against 

 the wall, just above the hole. She continued to be fed by the Robin for a 

 long time, when she was set at liberty and flew away. — William Beynolds, 

 Walton, near Glastonbury, September liith. 1851. 



Occurrence of the Grasslwpper 'Warbler, (Salicaria locustella.) — Heard one 

 of these birds August 17th., 1851, uttering its grinding notes in a thicket 

 of low thorns and brambles, on the side of the Dartmoor Railway, at about 

 two miles from Plymouth. During last season I obtained thirteen of these 

 Warblers in the neighbourhood of Cambridge; the date of a visit in pursuit 

 of them, to Wicken-fen, which I perceive the Rev. F. 0. Morris rightly 

 notices my omitting, I find on referring to my note-book I neglected to 

 enter; as near as I can trace, it was within two days of May 15th., 

 1851. — R. A. Julian, Jun., November 7th., 1851. 



VOL. I. 2 II 



