Cuculus Crex 69 



in the nests of smaller birds, and it devours the eggs 

 of the others that it finds. It mostly seeks the nests 

 of the Palumbes and eats those birds' eggs, leaving 

 its own behind. For the most part it lays a single 

 egg or rarely two. It also lays in the Curuca's nest, 

 and that bird sits upon the eggs, hatches and rears 

 the young. And at that time indeed the offspring of 

 the Cuculus is both particularly fat and of a grateful 

 flavour. A certain kind of Cuculus is wont to make its 

 nest far off on steep and very lofty rocks. 



Here Aristotle has portrayed the Cuculus to us most 

 graphically, and, had he described the Curuca in the same 

 careful way, it would not at this day have been so little 

 known to almost everyone as now it is. The Curuca of 

 Aristotle I suspect to be the Titling 1 of the English. For 

 I have observed no other bird in life more frequently than 

 this following the Cukkow's young and rearing it, as though 

 its own. Now it is less than the Luscinia, but with the same 

 figure of body, and in colour somewhat green ; it hunts for 

 gnats and little worms among the boughs of trees. It seldom 

 settles on the ground, and is not seen in winter. 



OF THE CREX FROM ARISTOTLE. 



But seeing that all birds have four toes each, three 

 are directed forwards and one backwards by way of 

 a heel, for safety's sake ; the last is very small in 

 such as have long legs, as happens with the Crex. 

 Further the Crex is of pugnacious habit, clever in 

 procuring food, but of bad omen otherwise. 



There is a certain bird in England with long legs, otherwise 

 like a Quail, except that it is bigger, which in spring as well 

 as early summer makes no other cry among the corn and flax 



1 It is impossible to say with certainty what Turner's ' Titlyng ' was ; 

 but probably he meant the Tree- Pipit, which he confounded with the 

 Titlark. 



