244 J. E. LITTLEBOT NOTES ON BIEDS 



It remains for me to refer in somewhat fuller terms to a few of 

 the tabulated species. 



Swallows, martins, and swifts arrived in our country rather later 

 than usual and only in small numbers, but as the season advanced 

 swifts became unusually abundant. Swallows and martins 

 remained later than I have previously recorded them. Swallows 

 are reported by Mr. W. M. Wood as abundant in Hertford to the 

 end of October. Numbers were seen in different localities during 

 the early part of November, and Lord Ebury reports that as late as 

 November 27th many swallows were observed at Eickmansworth, 

 principally about the tower of the old church. 



I have again to report two instances of young cuckoos being fed 

 by wagtails. I have received the following from Dr. A. T. Brett. 

 " At Moor Parm, close to the ruins of the old Moor House, Rick- 

 mansworth, a wagtail built its nest in some furze that served as a 

 protection to an old shed. On the 1st of September a farm-boy 

 told his mistress that ' there was such a large queer bird in the 

 wagtails' nest, and it had got such a big mouth.' On examining 

 the young prodigy, Mrs. Bean found it to be a cuckoo, and she 

 states that it made a noise like a gosling. It continued about the 

 garden and orchard until November, and was assiduously waited 

 on and fed by its foster-mother." On Sunday afternoon, the 18th 

 of July, a young cuckoo crossed the lawn at Hunton Bridge and 

 perched upon some wire-fencing beside the river, only about 25 

 yards from our parlour window. We had previously noticed a pair 

 of pied wagtails industriously hawking over the stream in search of 

 insect-food, and directly the young cuckoo appeared upon the scene, 

 one after the other flew towards it and carefully placed whatever it 

 had been able to catch within its wide open mouth. The cuckoo 

 had nearly attained its full size, and the contrast between the small 

 active wagtails, incessantly on the wing, and their great indolent 

 nursling, perched with open mouth upon the fence, was singularly 

 striking. We watched them for about twenty minutes, during 

 "which time the process of feeding was constantly persisted in. 



I now proceed onward in regular course. 



The Thrushes {Turdtis viscivorm, T. musicus, T. iliacus, and T. 

 pilaris.) — Thrushes, although not so plentiful as formerly, have 

 been more abundant in the year 1880 than they were in 1879. 

 They commenced to sing early in Pcbruary, and are reported 

 from various parts of the county from the second to the tenth 

 of that month. There is abundant truth in the words of a 

 Scotch poet : — 



""When snowdrops die, and the green primrose -leaves 

 Announce the coming flower ; the merle's note. 

 Mellifluous, rich, deep-toned, fills all the vale 

 And charms the ravished ear." 



They continued to sing through November and are last reported as 

 heard near Odsey Grange on the 15th of December, lied wings 

 ai'rived early in November, but were by no means abundant. In 



