The Zoologist— December, 1868. 1481 



quantities, and a little fruit occasionally, kept them in excellent healtb. Being thus 

 provided, I found little trouble in rearing my new acquisition on a portion of the same 

 food as the others, being, like them, an insectivorous bird. The difficulty at first with 

 this bird is its pugnacious habit, as it will strike at your fingers like a hawk when 

 trying to feed it; but the offer of the meal-worms, or a green caterpillar, or beetle of 

 any sort, will soon overcome this, and render it tolerably familiar — it will never be 

 entirely so, as it is naturally a solitary bird. If the live food is placed on the other 

 food the bird will soon learn to feed itself; but for a long time after he could feed 

 himself mine would call to be fed by hand, and this I used to do. Finding him very 

 restless at first when put in an ordinary cage, I transferred him to a lark's cage. This 

 seemed to suit him admirably. He immediately got on to the raised front, and as I 

 placed the cage where he could gel the sun, he spent the great part of the day sitting 

 there, and only going back on the perch I had placed for him at night. Thus placed 

 he grew rapidly, and in about five weeks from the time I bought him (the middle of 

 July) he had acquired the plumage of what by some persons is termed a " red cuckoo," 

 but which is, in fact, a bird of the first year, in immature plumage. Fearing that, as 

 the period of migration was at hand, he might injure his plumage — now complete — 

 I put him in a large cage, four feet square by two feet deep; but he had not the migra- 

 tory impulse nearly as strong on him as some of my smaller birds — the blackcaps, for 

 example. I thus kept him well through the winter. But now comes a piece of his 

 history, which I have no doubt will be as new to your readers as it was to me, and to 

 which I beg to invite their attention. One morning in January, about the middle of 

 the month, whilst sitting at breakfast, my wife and myself were startled by what 

 appeared to be a sharp treble bark of a young dog. Looking hastily round the room, 

 we could see nothing to account for the unusual sound; but the wonderment in which 

 we were was soon dissipated, for a few minutes after the barks were repeated, but this 

 time accompanied by the pleasing sound ''Cuckoo! cuckoo! cuckoo!" We were, as 

 you may imagine, much delighted at the discovery. This continued for more than a 

 month — the three small sharp barks always preceding the cuckoo; but the latter call 

 would sometimes be repeated eight or ten times in succession. At the end of that 

 time he ceased to call, but seemed to get more animated and restless for a short time, 

 when he settled into his usual habit, and we heard his call no more until May, and 

 then rarely accompanied by the barks. I kept him well all through the summer until 

 the begiun,iug of September, when he had nearly acquired his perfect plumage ; but in 

 nry over-anxiety to prevent his injuring his beautiful new dress, I took him out of the 

 cage and put him into a large attic, where he had only been a few days when, on going 

 one morning to feed him as usual, to my great regret I found him dead, having been 

 killed and part eaten by a rat from the adjoining building. In conclusion, if any of 

 your readers can solve me the following, the affirmative of which are strongly impressed 

 on my own mind, it may interest others besides myself: — First, does the cuckoo 

 habitually at a certain season bark? Secondly, does the cuckoo migrate in Africa as 

 well as in Europe?— in other words, is it subject to a double migration, as the obser- 

 vation of my bird would seem to indicate?— Robert Essery ; 4, Woodhill, Northampton, 

 September 2, 1868. — From the ' Field ' of September b. 



Nutcracker near Christchurch. — On the 6th of November Mr. Hart sent ine a nut- 

 cracker, in the flesh, from Christchurch. It was shot on a fir tree, and proved a male 

 on dissection. This specimen has a narrow pointed beak, the extreme tip of both 

 SECOND SERIES — VOL. III. 3 N 



