168 THE CUCKOO. 



ORDER SCANSORES. 



The Cuckoo. 



Cuculus Canorus. 



THE cuckoo is supposed to pass the winter in 

 Africa, and usually comes to us in the month of 

 April, when we hear its monotonous but pleasant 

 cry of cuckoo, which seems to proclaim to us that 

 winter is gone, and the time of flowers is coming. 

 Arrived in England, it generally betakes itself to 

 the woods, and appears especially to delight in 

 those which are situated on hills and mountains ; 

 from whence we may hear its simple, oft-repeated 

 song, through the day, and to a late hour of the 

 night. It feeds on insects, caterpillars, &c. and is 

 said also to eat the eggs of small birds. 



The most curious circumstance in the history 

 of this bird is, that it never builds a nest itself, 

 but lays its eggs in the nests of other birds. The 

 nests she chooses for this purpose are usually 

 those of birds smaller than herself; and she takes 

 the precaution to deposit only one in a nest, 

 though she lays from four to six in a season ; 



