522 THE COMMON CUCKOO. 



In 1590 old John Haywood also wrote a graphic verse on its 

 voice — 



" In April the cuckoo can sing by rote ; 

 In June ofttime she cannot sing a note. 

 At first koo-koo, koo-koo — sings all she can do ; 

 At last kooke, kooke, kooke, six kookis to one koo." 



The following strange lines also show the interest poets take in 

 its note — 



" Then Kirke White said to William Howitt, ' You, 

 Sir, are the next to give us tale or song ;' 

 Who answered he would not detain us long, 

 Having no tale, but just give an extract 

 Statement of what, we might depend, was fact. 

 Touching the singular catastrophe 

 That once befel a cuckoo ; for that he 

 Formerly had but one long shout, in lieu 

 Of the two short ones, which so well we knew; 

 Till Fate, to take his voice's penny, came 

 And gave change in half-pence for the same ; 

 For one day, as it happened, Mrs Eve, 

 Cutting her hair, her scissors chanced to leave, 

 Where, too, the hungry cuckoo chanced to get them, 

 And, rather fancying he might like them, ate them; 

 But, the twin blades, his throat in passing through, 

 Unfortunately snipped his shout in tivo. 

 'Well done,' said Millar, and 'Well done, well done,' 

 Hall shouted, 'mid the highest smiles of Fun." 



In some parts of Scotland April 15th (the day they were 

 supposed to come) was called " cuckoo day" ; if stormy, it was 

 called " gowk's storm," as we have the " chuchat storm" in May 

 — hence the old rhyme — 



" In the month of Aperel 

 The gowk comes over the hill 

 In a shower of rain." 



There is also an old fable that the cuckoo originally made its 

 own nest and reared its young like other birds, till one day a 

 cart full of hay passed over her and crushed her loins, hence 

 the hollow in her back, and why she flies so low, and puts her 

 eggs in other birds' nests, and leaves us before hay-cutting 

 begins, for, as the old rhyme says — 



" The first cock of hay 

 Frights the cuckoo away." 



Guernsey fishermen say, "the cuckoo flies away on the first 

 sight of barley in the ear f and in Lancashire the people say, 

 " the cuckoo comes wi' a haw leaf and gangs awa wi' a bere 



