General Notices. 475 



Fig. 51. A Potting-Benck Chopper. 



may seem a very simple implement, but we can assure our readers that Mr. 

 Frost, whom we suppose to be its inventor, finds it one of great utility. — Cond. 



Incubation : the Thrush, the Redstart, and the Cuckoo. — Some assert that 

 the reason why a cuckoo's egg is so small, compared with the size of the bird, 

 is, that it may be the easier palmed on other birds ; but, supposing this were 

 not the case, still I think it may be accomplished, and I offer the following as 

 a proof: — During this season, I put a thrush's egg into a redstart's nest, 

 containing three or four eggs, similar in colour, yet much smaller in size, com- 

 pared with the thrush's. Some time afterwards I visited the nest, and found 

 it contained four young ones : sure enough one of them was a thrush ; and if 

 I had not given more room, by spreading out the nest (it being in a cavity of 

 the wall allowed this), the young thrush would soon have smothered them, 

 in a similar way as the young cuckoo does toward the rightful brood of the 

 nest. When the thrush became full fledged, I placed it in a cage, with the 

 view of trying the foster-parents' attachment towards it, close to the others in 

 the nest. Both fed the young thrush, as well as the others in the nest in the 

 cavity in the wall. What was very singular, the cock bird used to feed the 

 young thrush with more attachment than the others. On the least approach 

 of danger or alarm, the bird would call out, " tweet, tweet, tweet." This he 

 often uttered, though having a large caterpillar in his beak, the food he fed 

 the young thrush with. This is different from what he would have been 

 fed on, if brought up by his right parents; worms would have formed his prin- 

 cipal diet : yet, the thrush was healthy, and the silly birds were pleased 

 with their stately chick, in a similar way as the titling is pleased with the 

 cuckoo. 



On the subject of incubation, I will not enter into the disputed points, but 

 merely confine myself to a few observations with respect to the mysterious 

 habits of the cuckoo. Amongst the opinions hazarded why the cuckoo does 

 not rear her brood, are we to suppose that she is deficient in the natural 

 qualities of incubation ? Increased heat, and friction on the eggs, caused by 

 the influence of the breast of the bird, appear to be phenomena in the 

 economy of birds similar to that of the production of milk in the Mammalia. 

 Fowls will sometimes sit without eggs, nay, upon the bare ground. Some 

 will, however, doubt this ; but, as Mr. Mudie justly observes : " This is no 

 argument against the universality of the affection. Nor can we draw any 

 more inference from those cases in which we cannot prevail upon a bird to sit, 

 than we can from those in the Mammalia, where a female sometimes cannot 

 suckle." From the retired habits of the cuckoo, and the time of its depar- 

 ture from this country being but imperfectly known, there is still room for a 

 good deal of observation about this singular and interesting bird. — John 

 Wighton. Cosset/ Gardens, Aug. 8. 1842. 



Thinning and pruning young Plantations. — It is perfectly lamentable to see 

 so many plantations completely ruined, for want of this necessary operation at 

 an early stage of their growth. It was in by-past times totally neglected ; 

 and we are sorry to see it in nowise altered at the present day in very many 

 instances. It is a prevailing error to plant very thickly of one common 

 mixture; the consequence of which is, that the quick and useless sorts soon 

 overtop the more valuable, and that what ought to be the permanent trees. 

 Neglect of thinning, following mismanagement in planting, soon carries them 

 beyond recovery ; and they become drawn up like whip-sticks, useless either 

 for shelter, for a screen, or profit. As an illustration of" this ruinous neglect, 



