1 70 THE CUCKOO 



is also evidently near akin to the German 

 ' Gauch/ a popular alternative to ' Kukuk.' 



As may be gathered from this incomplete 

 list of names, the cuckoo is very widely dis- 

 tributed, extending in its European range to 

 the Arctic circle, and in Asia as far east as 

 Japan. It is common in some parts of India, 

 is recorded from Arabia, Egypt and Nubia, 

 and is said to penetrate as far as South 

 Africa. 



With us in Scotland, the cuckoo is to be 

 looked for in ordinary seasons towards the end 

 of April. The earliest date in a series extend- 

 ing over a considerable number of years in the 

 West of Scotland was the 2ist April (1898), 

 and the latest the 8th May (1906 and 1910). 

 Such dates, however, are merely approximate, 

 as being those on which the bird was first 

 heard not seen. They may well have been 

 with us for days previously, as uncongenial 

 weather or scanty food supplies would keep 

 them silent. 



The cuckoo is a retiring bird, and is much 

 more frequently heard than seen, especially the 

 male, whose is the well-known call-note. When 

 uttering this he is generally sitting concealed in 

 thick foliage, and in doing so he drops his 

 wings, raising the tail and bowing his head ; 



