CUCKOO. 381 
It is very remarkable how the various species of small birds are attracted 
by the note of the male Cuckoo. Dixon has the following note, amongst 
several of a similar nature :—‘I once saw a male Cuckoo alight in a tall 
oak tree and commence calling. He had not been there long before 
several Starlings that had been feeding in a neighbouring field flew into the 
same tree. Soon after several Greenfinches arrived; and then a Willow- 
Wren, flying over, suddenly altered its course and flew back for some 
distance into the tree.”’ : 
The male Cuckoo, when once it has arrived in a suitable haunt, does not 
seem to wander far away from it during the summer. It is rather a shy 
wary bird, and appears to love retirement, keeping as much out of sight 
as possible. It is more often heard than seen, and is usually observed 
when flying from one tree to another. Notwithstanding its shyness, 
gamekeepers often succeed in luring it within shot by imitating its ery. 
When the Cuckoo alights, it very often depresses its head, spreads out 
and elevates its tail, and droops its wings. Though clumsy on the ground, 
it is quite at home amongst the branches, and hops about in search of 
food, gliding from twig to twig, or sometimes fluttering upwards to take a 
caterpillar or a fly. 
The food of the Cuckoo consists principally of beetles, butterflies, moths, 
and other insects, with their larve. It is extremely fond of caterpillars, 
and especially those that are covered with hairs. Vegetable fibres and 
blades of grass have been occasionally found in its stomach, which is often 
packed full of the hairs from caterpillars and other insect-remains in a 
globular mass or pellet, which is afterwards ejected from the mouth. The 
Cuckoo is often accused of devouring birds’ eggs. Gamekeepers say that 
it sucks the eggs of Pheasants, Partridges, and Grouse; but there is 
no other evidence that such is the case, and there is not even proof that © 
the eggs of the smaller birds are ever eaten. The food of the young birds 
is of a slightly more varied nature; for the foster-parents are of many 
different species, and consequently collect different substances to feed 
their young. Insects, however, form the chief supply ; but often this fare 
is varied by worms, grubs, berries, and seeds. The amount of injurious 
insects and larve which the Cuckoo destroys in a single season is almost 
past belief; and the service this useful bird renders to the farmer, the 
gardener, and the owner of trees and forests should secure it the greatest 
protection. Few birds are more interesting, few are so popular or so gladly 
welcomed in the spring. 
The most interesting part of the history of the Cuckoo is the curious 
fact that it does not rear its own young, but lays its eggs on the 
ground, and then deposits them with its bill in the nests of other birds, 
leaving the foster-parents to undertake the task of hatching the egg and 
feeding the nestling. This habit is not confined to one species, but prevails 
