44 OUR MIGRANT BIRDS 



Bill black, and slightly hooked. Legs black. Length 

 9^ in. Female duller, and faintly barred on under 

 parts with greyish brown. 



Language. Call-note, " tru-i-i " : alarm-note, " shake- 

 shake." 



Habits. Flight strong and undulating. Like the 

 other Shrikes, it is predaceous, perching like a sentinel 

 at the top of some tree, watching its quarry, upon 

 which it pounces, and either tears it to pieces like a 

 hawk, or impales the writhing victim on stout thorns. 



Food. Small birds and mammals, lizards, frogs, 

 insects, beetles, and grasshoppers. 



Nidification. Breeds in Europe. 



CUCKOO (Cuculus canows). 



Mid-April to August or September. Generally dis- 

 tributed and abundant. Found everywhere in the 

 country. 



Observation. The general appearance of the Cuckoo 

 is distinctly Hawk-like, the long tail and barred under- 

 parts much resembling the Sparrow Hawk ; but note 

 shorter wings. 



Plumage. Upper parts bluish ash-grey. Wings 

 darker, and inner webs barred with white. Tail dark 

 slate-grey with white flecks, and rather long. Throat 

 and breast ash-grey ; under parts dull white, trans- 

 versely barred with dull brown. Bill blackish, with 

 yellow edges ; gape wide. Legs yellow. Length 13^ in. 

 Female similar, but slightly rufous on the breast. Young : 

 upper parts ash, barred with reddish brown, white spot 

 on nape. 



Language. The well-known " cuckoo," sometimes 

 " cuck-cuck-oo," and more rarely " cuckoo," &c., and 



