THE ZooLocist—Aveust, 1876. 5045 
the rule. For my own part I fully believe what Gilbert White has said on 
the subject, since I never observed anything to the contrary, but much to 
confirm his statement, and especially during the past spring. This, how- 
ever, is but another proof of how cautious we should be of pronouncing as 
unalterable any of the laws which regulate the economy and habits of our 
fayourites.—G. B. Corbin. 
Notes on the Cuckoo and Redbacked Shrike.— For several days at the 
beginning of the present month a young cuckoo, which had been hatched 
in an adjacent hedge, frequented my kitchen garden, where it was 
assiduously tended by its foster parent, a hedgesparrow. It was also 
constantly visited by an old cuckoo, which I disturbed each time I visited 
the garden, generally finding it either among the raspberry canes or the 
gooseberry bushes ; twice I saw the old bird squatting on the ground under 
a gooseberry bush. The appearance of the old cuckoo so frequently in the 
garden greatly interested me, and I began to wonder whether it was an 
instance of parental regard towards the young bird which had been brought 
up by the hedgesparrow, or whether there was some other attraction in the 
garden which induced the old cuckoo to ‘visit it. The gooseberry trees 
were infested by the common gooseberry grub, and the cuckoo might have 
come solely for the purpose of feeding upon them. A friend told me that 
he actually shot a cuckoo the other day while it was devouring his rasp- 
berries, but this seems so strange that he probably had made some mistake. 
The other morning my gardener saw a male redbacked shrike kill and 
earry off a sparrow; the bird is nearly always on the lawn, making one of 
the standard roses his perch, from which he sallies to capture any passing 
fly or beetle— Murray A. Mathew ; Bishop's Lydeard, July 13, 1876. 
Roller in Suffolk.—A fine male specimen of the roller (C. garrula) was 
shot at Raydon, near Ipswich, on the 14th of June, by a gamekeeper named 
Mortimer. A report having been circulated to the effect that the hen bird had 
also been seen, and the nest discovered, I went to Raydon on Saturday last, 
and saw Mr. Mortimer, who informed me that he had seen the bird for 
several days before he shot it, and it was always alone. He had kept a 
sharp look out for the hen bird ever since, but without success. A woodman 
in the locality stated that he had seen a second bird. The supposed nest 
proved to be nothing more than a blackbird’s, with an abnormal egg in it. 
The roller being a very rare bird in this country, I am pleased to send you 
the above authentic account of its occurrence. I may add, the bird has been 
preserved by Mr. Podd, taxidermist, of this town, for Mr. Mortimer, who 
intends to retain possession of it.—H. Miller, jun. ; Ipswich. (From the 
‘ Field’ of July 15th, 1876.) 
Migrations of the Swift.—On the 30th of June, 1873, a great migratory 
movement of swifts took place in Sussex from east to west, as is stated in 
the ‘ Zoologist.’ A continuous flight of them was seen passing over Brighton 
SECOND SERIES—VOL, XI. 2s 
