Parasite Habits of the Night-jar, 397 



letter. Slapton Sands, by which the Lea and sea are divided, 

 afford but few specimens of shells, and those of the most com- 

 mon occurrence. Many species of the genus Tringa breed 

 here. Start Bay supplies the neighbourhood with abundance 

 and variety of excellent fish. Of these I purpose giving you 

 as good an account as I can ; but I must confess that I am 

 not at present very conversant with the science of ichthyology. 

 In botany I hope to be able to supply you with a list oi plantcs 

 rar tores; but my residence here having been of short du- 

 ration, I cannot speak with absolute certainty upon that sub- 

 ject, i^ilices abound, and I see the leaves of the Sibth6rpm 

 europae^a in some moist rocky spots in the village. In the 

 meadows in the autumn I gathered Bartsia viscosa. 



I will now close my present letter, with the assurance of my 

 desire to assist your undertaking in every way that lies in my 

 power ; and if you think that my present letter is worthy of 

 insertion in your most useful Magazine, I shall be proud to 

 communicate to its pages any thing relative to the delightful 

 science of natural history that may present itself to my notice. 



I send you herewith a map of Slapton Lea (^g, 104?.), 

 of which you can make what use you please. 



I am, Sir, &c. 

 Slapton, Devon, April 23. H. V. D. 



Art. II. Supposed Parasite Habits of the Night-jar [Caprimulgus 

 europ(B'us)f and Nests of the Cuckoo, By J. Rennie, Esq. 



The statement of your correspondent, Mr. Masters, of the 

 Canterbury Museum (Vol. III. p. 192.), with respect to the 

 night-jar depositing an ^g<g^ like the cuckoo, in the nest of the 

 hedge-sparrow, appeared to me so very anomalous and unac- 

 countable, that, on looking into it a little closely, and turning 

 the subject in my mind, I was led to a rather different conclu- 

 sion ; which he may, perhaps, be able to rectify if I have fallen 

 into error. The parasite habit in question has been ascertained 

 to belong exclusively to a singular American bird, the cow 

 bunting (Passerina pecoris Vieillot, Emberiza pecoris Wilson*), 

 and to the genuine cuckoos, — the observations of the accu- 

 rate Vaillant, on several species of Southern Africa, proving 

 that it is not confined to our common cuckoo (Cilculus cano- 

 rus). Vaillant further ascertained that the cuckoo does not 

 sit on the nest in which she lays her egg, but lays it on the 



* Oiseaux d'Afrique, vol. v. See Didric, &c. 



D D 3 



