The Zoologist— April, 1866. 189 



whin-bush; when taken up it presently discovered signs of life, but was quite destitute 

 of feathers : being kept warm and carefully fed it grew and recovered its coat of 

 feathers: in the spring following it made its escape, and in flying across the River 

 Tyne it gave its usual call." 



D , Monmouthshire, April, 1862. — " 1. Betsy Stephens tells ine that, some 



thirty years ago, when she was in service near here, a large block of wood was put on 

 the Christmas fire, and that when the heat began to pervade it a cuckoo sung out its 

 note: the block was removed and cleaved, and the bird found in a hole of the wood: 

 she cannot remember whether it had feathers, or what became of it. 



"2. Henry Stephens, some years ago, was in service at a farm in the parish of 

 L — , four miles from this place: a large piece of wood was put on the Christmas fire, 

 and soon the note of a cuckoo was heard. The wood was taken off and cleft in several 

 pieces, and at last they found the bird quite denuded of feathers, in which he was 

 nestling. He forgets what became of the bird, and could not tell me what kind of 

 wood the block was of. 



"3. Mark Hopkins's father had, at least forty years ago, a potato-heap in an 

 under-ground cellar, covered with fern and straw. One day he went to have a look at 

 bis potatoes, and found a cuckoo perfectly unfeathered and in a state of torpor. They 

 often went to look at it, and as the spring approached animation revived, the feathers 

 began to grow, and eventually it flew away, the door having been left open for that 

 purpi'se, 



" I cannot get any further information : you can readily believe that the parties 

 never even heard of Bewick." 



My friend the Rector forwards these as legends 1,2, 3; and his inquiries arose 

 from this very Mark Hopkins, a superior kind of yeoman labourer, having lold me that 

 he " once heard a cutkuo in the winter," &c. — Richard Peake ; Wirewood's Green, 

 Chepxtoic, February 23, 1866. 



Gular Pouch of the Bustard. — The male has, however, an essential distinction, 

 being furnished with a pouch, capable of containing near seven pints of water, the 

 entrance being immediately under the tongue. Dr. Douglas first discovered this 

 singular reservoir, which the bird is supposed to fill with water, as a supply in those 

 dreary plains, where it is accustomed to wander; this is of use also to the female while 

 sitting, which is generally at a distance from water, or for the young until they can leave 

 the nest. A further use of it has been observed in Morocco, where they fly the hawk 

 at the bustard ; on the attack of the hawk it has been ki;own that the bustard has 

 spirted out the water against the assailant, and has by that means baffled the pursuit 

 of its enemy.— From Daniels^ ' Field Sports,' vol. ii. p. 383, ivilh fii/ure. 



Gular Pouch of the Bustard. — In the March number of the 'Zoologist' (S.S. 144) 

 is an extract from the ' Field' newspaper on the " Gular Pnuch of the Bustard," in 

 which Mr. Tegetmeier has inadvertently attributed to me the rediscovery of this 

 singular organ: it is due to Dr. Cullen, of Kustendjie, to say that the specimen 

 shown at the Meeting of the Zoological Society referred to, was dissected by that 

 gentleman, described and figured by him in the ' Ibis' for March, 18tio, and then for- 

 warded to the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons. My part in the afi"air con- 

 sisted simply in exhibiting the specimen, and making a few remarks confirmatory of 

 and supplementary to Dr. Cullen's observations. — W. H. Flower ; Royal College of 

 Surgeons, March 15, 1866. 



