OF SELBORNE. 211 



LETTER IV. 



TO THE SAME. 

 DEAR sm,. SELBORNE, Feb. 19, 1770. 



YOUR observation, that "the cuckoo 1 doe not deposit 

 its egg indiscriminately in the nest of the first bird that 



in cages, and can only be kept in health by a very meagre diet. The 

 beautiful bearded titmice, which are brought to us from Holland, where 

 they abound in the beds of reed, are fond of meat and egg, but they die 

 of apoplexy, if they have any better diet than crumbs of bread and hemp 

 or mawseed. The same is the case with the little blue titmouse; and the 

 larger black-headed titmouse or oxbird, being of a stronger constitution, 

 will be attacked by epilepsy, if well fed while in a cage. 



I had one of these, which was taken out of a nest the gardener was 

 about to destroy, and reared by hand. It continued quite healthy while 

 growing, but soon after it came to its size it was affected with epilepsy, 

 the fits gradually becoming more frequent till at last it had above a dozen 

 in a day, each of which was expected to prove fatal. In consequence of 

 its illness I had frequently shut it out of window, being desirous of 

 giving it the chance of recovering health and liberty together, but it never 

 would go away, but continued pecking at the glass for admittance, or, if 



1 Since this letter of Mr. White's, much has been added to our know- 

 ledge of the cuckoo, by the patient attention of Dr. Jenner. 



Concerning the singing of the cuckoo, mentioned by Mr. White at 

 p. 235, I will add the following curious memoranda from the seventh vo- 

 lume of the Transactions of the Linnean Society. " The cuckoo begins 

 early in the season with the interval of a minor third, the bird then pro- 

 ceeds to a major third, next to a. fourth, then a. fifth, after which the 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 

 Heywood, 1587." 



OF USE, 95. 



" Use maketh maistry, this hath been said alway, 



But all is not alway, as all men do say, 



In April, the koocoo can sing her song by rote, 



In June, of tune, she cannot sing a note ; 



At first, koo coo, koo coo sing still can she do ; 



At last, kooke, kooke, kooke ; six kookes to one koo !" 



MlTFORD. 



