Cuckoos’ Habits in the Breeding Season. 279


CUCKOOS’ HABITS IN THE BREEDING


SEASON.


By Hubert D. Astley.


On the 25th of May—such a gorgeous morning—I was

awakened at 5.30 by the sonorous notes of a Cuckoo, which must

have flown close past two of the open windows of my bedroom, and

then I heard him still calling and evidently stationary within 60

yards of me.


I hurried out of my bed. Directed by the sound of his fine

ringing voice, and really there is no sound more wonderful at such

close quarters, I saw him perched on the top of the pergola which

spans a flower-edged brick path between the moat, surrounding the

house, and a pond. His long tail was pointing upwards, the feathers

spread, and he was evidently in a state of excitement. Cuck-cuckoo-

cuck-cuckoo ; his notes resounding. And then he flew down to the

edge of the pond, whether to drink or not, I could nt see, for the

solid oak beams and uprights of the pergola hid him from view.

At that moment my eye was attracted to a fluttering and struggling

of wings just where some honeysuckle has grown up one of the oak

uprights, and almost underneath where the cuckoo was perched.

Seizing my field-glasses, I was greatly thrilled to find it was a female

cuckoo, which was hanging on to the squared side of the timber,

partly supporting herself by the growth of honeysuckle, and inserting

her head into a smallish aperture in the wood, probably one cut out

originally for the end of a transverse beam, when these old timbers

formed part of the roof of a barn. She remained like that for at

least six or eight minutes, constantly popping her head into and out

of the hole. Once a male Chaffinch swooped at her, backwards and

forwards, uttering a ‘pink-pink’ of alarm or indignation, and the

Cuckoo, still hanging on to the upright beam und still fluttering her

wings, turned up her head at the Chaffinch and opened her mouth

so that I could plainly see her orange gape.


Then she returned to her business, popping her head into the

hole again, as if she was either eating or arranging something. At

last she flew off with clucking notes, and was immediately followed

by the male. I heard his passionate cuck-cuckoo, cuck-cuckoo,



