164 NATURAL HISTORY 
tance, hovering about with meat in its mouth, and 
expressing the greatest solicitude. 
In July I saw several cuckoos skimming over a 
large pond, and found, after some observation, that 
they were feeding on the Jibellula, or dragon-flies, 
some of which they caught as they settled on the 
weeds, and some as they were on the wing. Not- 
withstanding what Linnzeus says, I cannot be in- 
duced to believe that they are birds of prey. 
This district affords some birds that are hardly 
ever heard of at Selborne. In the first place, con- 
siderable flocks of crossbeaks (loxie curvirostre) 
have appeared this summer in the pine groves be- 
longing to the house [Ringmer, near Lewes]; the 
water-ousel is said to haunt the mouth of the Lewes 
River, near Newhaven; and the Cornish chough 
builds, I know, all along the chalky cliffs of the 
Sussex shore. 
I was greatly pleased to see little parties of ring- 
ousels (my newly-discovered migrators) scattered 
at intervals all along the Sussex Downs, from Chi- 
chester to Lewes. Let them come from whence 
they will, it looks very suspicious that they are can- 
toned along the coast in order to pass the Channel 
when severe weather advances. ‘They visit us 
again in April, as it should seem, in their return, 
and are not to be found in the dead of winter. It 
is remarkable that they are very tame, and seem 
to have no manner of apprehensions of danger from 
a person witha gun. ‘There are bustards on the 
wide downs near Brighthelmstone ; no doubt they 
are acquainted with the Sussex Downs. ‘The pros- 
pects and rides round Lewes are most lovely. . 
As I rode along near the coast, I kept a very 
