190 THE WINTER LIFE OF A CUCKOO IN ENGLAND. 
with a peck from his beak. Whenever a clatter of plates, or 
knives and forks, is heard in the kitchen, an answering note 
is heard from the cage: the Cuckoo descends from his perch, 
and should the door be closed, knocks his head against it until 
a friendly hand attends to his wishes. His eating is not confined 
to regular meal-times, but he is stuffing all day long: probably 
the reason so few have lived, is that they have never had enough 
given them to eat. The beak is long and appears adapted for 
picking out grubs and worms from the earth. The food is well 
shaken, passed several times through the bill, as if to soften 
it, then swallowed with a jerk ofthe head. These greedy birds, 
living on their natural food, must be of great use to the cultivator 
of the soil. 
The crop of the Cuckoo is not placed in the position in which 
the crop of a bird is usually found, but further back, near the 
tail, M. Heérissant, a French anatomist, thought he had dis- 
covered this to be the reason why the bird does not hatch its 
own eggs, but a similar formation is known to exist in birds who 
perform their parental duties. White found it in the fern owl, 
and Blumenbach in some other birds. Though the Cuckoo 
whose history has been given still lives, the struggle of instinct 
at the usual time of departure, spoiled his beauty. At night he 
was constantly found with his wings spread, beating against his 
cage. Darkening the cage did not prevent it. The feathers of 
his long wings and tail were all broken. He has a cropped, 
queer appearance, and as the feathers show no sign of growth, 
the writer fears he will present a sad contrast to the brothers and 
sisters who have spent their winter under brighter skies in more 
genial climates. 8. E. B. 
High Wycombe. 
Tue Burcnek’s Broom (Ruscus aculeatus).—This interesting 
plant (of the order Asparagacee) has been recently added to the 
Flora of the district of Wycombe. It grows in hedgerows near 
Cores End, Wooburn, where I saw it in blossom in February 
last. It is rather common at Hedsor and Cliefden, in the 
woods ; but this is outside the Wycombe district. 
T. MarsHAat,. 
