160 



of many of their habits, and he told a story of a young cuckoo wliich 

 may be worth repeating, the truth of which, he avers, can be established 

 by several members of his own family. Having enquired what we thought of 

 the alleged migration of the cuckoo, and received the natural reply, he 

 startled us by stating that we were quite wrong, and that they had 

 frequently been found in hollow trees, in a torpid state, throughout the 

 winter. He did not profess to have seen any of these birds himself, 

 but said that he had heard of them "from old men who had found them," 

 several times in his life, but to the following statement he insisted upon full 

 credit being given. Some years ago, a young cuckoo having been found 

 in the nest of a hedge sparrow, near the house of his brother, (a respectable 

 farmer, still resident in the neighbourhood,) the attempt to keep it through 

 the winter was determined upon by some of the family. The bird 

 appeared to thrive satisfactorily for some time, but, in the month of 

 November, the cage was one day found open, the bird gone, and no more 

 was thought of the circumstance. Upon the shelves of the dresser of the 

 kitchen in which the bird had been kept, were ranged pewter platters, 

 which, but a few years since, were common in the farm houses of the 

 district, although never used. These were invariably scoured and 

 brightened for Christmas, and, being taken down a day or two prior to 

 Christmas day for the purpose, behind one of them, in the Avords of my 

 informant, sitting Avith his feathers aU around him, "there was the cvickoo as 

 naked as a worm," but it did not live long afterwards, in consequence of 

 some negligence on the part of those who had the care of it. 



But many hours have been spent here, and we must leave the New 

 Grounds, and all that further pei-tains to their history, satisfied if we have 

 succeeded in directing them to the attention of any one who has leisure to 

 fully work out the subject. The silt of wliich they are composed, has 

 itself a story to relate. 



By the kindness of W. B. Clegram, Esq., who has paid much attention 

 to the Diatomaceae, we are enabled to present the following list of sj)ecies, 

 made out by him, as occurring in great numbers in the Severn mud, for 

 the use of those wlio may feel inclined to pursue the subject further, as a 

 great many of those comjorised in it may be met with here. 



*Pleurasigma douhh-angnlatum (veiy large and beautiful) 



* Mr. Clegram remarks that "the large P. angulaium ia a very distinct and 

 beaiitifiJ variety, and I have never seen it from any other locaUty. The mud from 

 wliich they were taken was obtained on the shore of Kingroad. All were taken 

 from within the reach of salt water, besides a host of others, which I cannot class 

 from any drawings which I have seen. I doubt whether many of the book varieties 

 are varieties at all, or merely different stages of growth, or under other conditions." 



