290 THE CUCKOO. 



should call them solitary birds or not. Usually indeed 

 one only is seen; but not unfrequently three, four, or 

 even more, will assemble upon a tree, and make the air 

 resound with their well-known notes, uttered sometimes as 

 they remain perched, at others as they quiver through the 

 air with an odd sort of wild fluttering flight. It appears 

 however from good evidence, that they either quit their 

 Winter-quarters together, or falling in with each other 

 on the journey, land in little flocks. Some years ago 

 at dawn of day, early in the Spring, a gentleman, living 

 on the Cheshire side of the river Mersey, opposite Liver- 

 pool, was awakened by a kind of chattering noise, inter- 

 rupted by the cry of " Cuckoo, cuckoo," in a low 

 plantation near his house, situated amongst the sand 

 hills bordering the shores of the estuary, and on look- 

 ing out, observed a pretty large flock which, at sun-rise, 

 or soon after, all took to flight. 



Here, then, we have an instance of their being soci- 

 ably inclined on their arrival; and it would seem that 

 they are equally so when about to leave us : for in a 

 garden in the county of Down, in Ireland, from the 

 18th to the 22nd of July, not less than forty Cuckoos 

 were observed for the most part amongst the gooseberry- 

 bushes, probably collecting the grubs which often infest 

 those plants, and not to eat gooseberries, as the gardener 

 supposed; and it was remarked that they were almost all 

 so sleepy and dozing, as to permit a very near approach, 

 though not quite so near as to admit of being caught by 

 the hand. There happened to be a late brood of Black- 

 birds, not quite fledged, in a nest. They were dis- 

 covered by the Cuckoos, who destroyed all but two; 

 they were seen to tear them in pieces, the gardener 

 actually rescuing one from their grasp, which had its 

 leg and wing severed. Not above three or four were 

 heard to cry, " Cuckoo," and then in a sort of hoarse 

 unnatural tone. The greatest number collected towards 

 sun-set, though many remained throughout the day. 

 After the 22nd of July, only one or two remained, 



