72 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



to be come at by even the breeze" is outdone by Pliny's cuckoo ! 

 However, Pliny noted that little birds would always endeavour to 

 drive away this would-be impostor, which is paralleled to the 

 present time, and should mean the cuckoo. Our male bird is 

 attentive to the female in spring, and passes living food, generally 

 in the larval form, which is gladly accepted. 



The call of the Ash-coloured Cuckoo, Cacomantis Jlahelli- 

 formis, Lath., is a high-pitched, hard-sounding trill, and given as 

 if the bird was in trouble and seeking someone. It gives me 

 the impression that the meaning of its generic name, " prophet 

 of ill," was applied as if it had a direct bearing on its voice. It 

 is certain the birds of its neighbourhood do not like it, and as 

 my friend Mr. Graham has made a fuller observation, I quote 

 from his letter as follows : — " On the 30th August (18 days after 

 arrival of cuckoo) a pair of Scarlet-breasted Robins attacked an 

 Ash-coloured Cuckoo, alighting together upon its head and back. 

 They worried it for half a minute, the cuckoo not caring much, 

 judging by appearances. When it flew away to catch a grub 

 several Yellow-rumped Tits took offence at its presence and 

 offered fight. Flying to a green tree, it was then beset by a White- 

 shafted Fantail. From there it flew to the ground amongst the 

 ferns, Pteris, outside the slab fence, where I could not see it, but 

 by the loud commotion among the Scrub Tits, Sericornis, it 

 evidently was not welcome. Having risen again, it was attacked 

 by the Sordid Wood Swallow in force and driven off. During 

 the series of attacks it offered no defence, seemingly occupied 

 alone in the search for its daily bread." 



The following dates give the arrivals of three species of 

 cuckoos for two near latitudes for the respective seasons : — 

 Bronze Cuckoo, Chalcococcyx plagosivs, Lath. — Box Hill, 25th 

 July, 1895, 24th July, 1896, 26th July, 1897 ; Heytesbury, 

 27th September, 1896, 21st September, 1897. Ash-coloured 

 Cuckoo, Cacomantis Hahelliformis, Lath. — Box Hill, 14th August, 

 1895, 5th August, 1896, ist August, 1897 ; Heytesbury, 28th 

 August, 1896, i2th September, 1897. Pallid Cuckoo, Cuculus 

 pallidus, Lath. — Box Hill, ist September, 1896, 12th August, 

 1897 ; Heytesbury, 29th September, 1896, 26th September, 1897. 



The scanty figures given show the Pallid species arrives two to 

 four weeks later than the Fantail and Bronze species, and that 

 the arrival of the same species at the Heytesbury district, accord- 

 ing to my correspondent, Mr. G. Graham, is one to two months 

 later. I presume that Box Hill is upon the migratory course 

 from the north-east, and that the Otway-Heytesbury district is the 

 terminus, except for those that go further west or cross the strait 

 for Tasmania. The dates of arrivals appear to be fairly uniform 

 in each year. 



(Tu he contimied J 



