74 



NOTES TO THE 



THE YELLOWHAMMER, p. 93. This is one of our most common 

 birds, and does not migrate. Mr. Davy never knew of flocks 

 coming to this country. They are not, as a rule, kept as 

 cage-birds, the song not being thought anything of. The song of 

 the yellowhammer is very simple "Widdle, widdle, widdle, 

 cee, cee, cha." In some part of the country the bird is said to 

 sing thus : " A little bit of bread and no c-h-e~e-s-e." 



They have no song during the winter months. They breed 

 late on the ground in banks, and have three nests a year, from 

 April to the end of August. 



TITLARK OR TREE PIPIT, p. 94 This bird, a very common one, 

 arrives at the beginning of April, and begins to migrate in the 

 middle of August. It is very much sought after for its song 

 and for improving the song of nestling linnets. The linnets thus 

 educated have a mixed song, and are used for " call-birds." 

 Their song reads thus : " Heep, heep, heep, tollyke, eke, pipe, 

 chow, wheet, wheet, fear, lug, orcher, wheet." This is a mixed 

 song of the native linnet improved by the titlark. The words 

 introduced by the titlark into the linnet's song are " fearing " 

 and " chowing." Titlarks are easily kept, and sing well in 

 captivity. They will sing when perched and also when on the 

 wing. 1 



CUCKOO, p. 95. I have had several young cuckoos sent me 

 from time to time. The cry is very peculiar. On one occasion, Mr. 

 Uartlett chanced to come into my room, where I had a young 

 cuckoo he could not see. I asked him what that cry was ; he said 

 " the cry of the young of some soft-billed bird ; " this plaintive 

 cry is a wonderful provision to attract soft-billed birds to feed 

 the helpless cuckoo in its foster-mother's nest. The cuckoo 

 almost always picks out the dead branch of a tree from which to 

 call. It may be attracted by calling and imitating its cry. Mr. 

 Edon reports that when he has decoyed the cuckoo in this way, 

 he finds that, after being deceived and not rinding what it ex- 

 pected (say in three visits to the same spot), the bird will 

 not come near again, but will stay at a distance and keep on 

 answering. 



Cuckoos are very partial to hedge sparrows' nests. One pair ot 

 hedge sparrows could not feed such a glutton as a young cuckoo. 

 Its peculiar cry attracts other soft meat birds to help to feed it. 



A young cuckoo when well fledged could be easily mistaken 

 for a nightjar when on the wing in the open. 



Cuckoos feed upon caterpillars on high trees. They arrive 

 here in April and depart about the end of August. 



1 See also page 43. 



