364 OBSERVATIONS 



to return to its nest at the expiration of every second 

 or third minute. MITFORD. 



CUCKOOS. Since Mr. White's time, much has 

 been added to our knowledge of the cuckoo, by the 

 patient attention of Dr. Jenner. Concerning the 

 singing of the cuckoo, mentioned by Mr. White at 

 p. 140, I will add the following curious memoranda 

 from the 7th volume of the Transactions of the Lin- 

 naan Society. " The cuckoo begins early in the 

 season with the interval of a minor third, the bird 

 then proceeds to a major third, next to a fourth, 

 then a fifth, after which his voice breaks without 

 attaining a minor sixth." This curious circumstance 

 was, however, observed very long ago ; and it forms 

 the subject of an epigram in that scarce black-letter 

 volume, the Epigrams of John Hey wood, 1587. 



MITFORD. 



