Querms and Ansxaers. 473 



himself) biitj^r^^hough food wa^ alwaya placed within his reach, awaited the 

 return of his mistress, whose avocations occasioned her absence for two or 

 three liQiirs at a time, and then would flutter t6 the side of the cage, crying 

 cuckoo! cuckoo ! as if impatient to be fed. I mentioned this to a gentleman 

 the day after I had seen the bii'd, who assured me it was a peculiarity 

 natural to a cuckoo never to feed itseffi and that the, office is performed. by 

 some other bird. I own I was incredulous, and am so still, having ex-a^ 

 ininedsever-al histories of the cuekoo, none of which mentions it ; nor have 

 I met with any one who coidd confirm it. Certainly the facfc^ of the young 

 bird I saw in the cage not feeding himself, though nine months iold^/isisorae- 

 what corrohoratiye of the gentlemau's assertioiii'40}Ji&8ftV»iSic/TA«itt— iifillffl 

 St.4/b(vi'.$^4p)-U^A^^^,,,,x ^.h J. ■ !.. -jjpna hb woIIb o1 e^anboon 



The Vocal Powers of the Missel Thrush. — In^^f lafeBgBM beatEllBoabmrinlriiv 

 9atif^^-!,9f tfr ,^. 9»:ith§i; s»bJB§l^ ^/^Sififtl'i^^bMJ^ (rf tjhel miiifeljthniifeh, 

 (p. 193.), I have to i^ayf^itfei^&Yfoifetflfe^^Hrfeetiiffasc^finedrthfch^ 

 missel thrush frctjucntl^ffi^stTii^ ^^my^f^1^W^i^^S^v^t\yl■^^cn}A^^ap 

 your correspondent. This biiH;is.no\v.fi0tea^^ihfi8etj}rfii€iilghpi^w^t5i^^ 

 years ago, xme shot in Auchincriiivagardeu esreiJt^'fldSJ^isi^cWcfeaftsiSpBQkk 

 "^M ^\jMijPW'^^^y even on reference to.§lv.(^flsib©|p|kalwdrbcflAsil®jitfe 

 ^fi985^?yf^^ ^'^''^' ^*'""^ attentive obserY#«Mlk«l I«)(»fl6i<^efied ^hnostva® 

 ^ert^inly ^ncScatzive of bad weather as a fal}iftgjJ)aiP0H^^f| hemmiit ^Htkivm 

 sional, and not confined to any particular season, so that thergfifej i^feateeljl 

 a week in ail the .year within which its song may not be h'tard. r^It ©fteii. 

 hapjiens that the \yoods resound far and near with its powerful inelody, op 

 a still day in the iuidcUe of winter, or very early in, spring, when no otheK 

 songster is heard. , I have observed them in the mornings in autimm fecnl- 

 ing voraciously on the fruit of . the mountain ash, and t^^eyrroughly iMiiit 

 away the redwing fieldfare from sharing this repast, .qfi^fg^ife^^gcc^t^ 

 berries of the holly.— ,>^. Z. %v', jWm, 1830.. rduq :tri§il8' e 8fi ^bslifi^ 

 . The Missel Thrush. — The connnunjcation of J. B^p-e^pecllngi^^ Qiis^ih 

 thrush is perfectly correct. I can corroborate every -ag^er^ipnyHtad^^ ^Wki 

 cerning it from personal observation. . In the present year I have heai'd,th^ 

 bird singing many times, and more particularly towards.the end of Pebruar}^^^ 

 Indeed, in the part of the country where I reside, the missel .thrush >is 

 vulgarly called the storm-cochy intimating that its singing is indicativ.^.^ 

 stormy weather. lam. Sir, &c.— T****. R—cL , i! rol 



The Missel Thrush ; in answer to our correspondent J.B. (p. 193.)-v-T!his 

 bird seems to have two kinds of song, one not unlike the notes of t^Cfj 

 blackbird, the other very sweet, though in a much lower tone, and mor^t 

 nearly resembling those of the common thrush. I have one which I reared ; 

 from the nest, and having been kept about a year near a canary, it has ta( 

 a certain degree acquired its song, as in several notes.it has imitated itt 

 almost to perfection. I have now had it nearly four years, and it has .be- 

 come a great pet. It eats mostly bread and milk, but eagerly devours snails, 

 beetles, &c. ^Et seems to possess a singular antipathy to worms, as it neyi^r^ 

 attempts to touch them if offered to it. — James Drummond MarshaU^^ 

 Belfast, Mai/ 25. 1830. , ^ , , ,, i 



Roohs .2)rei/ing on young/B^ds.-r-Xs it customary for rooks to despoiJi 

 the heists of the smaller birds, and devour their young? or is the following, j 

 occurrence to be explained upon the supposition that rooks, in large cities,,, 

 finding it difficult to procure worms, &c., to carry to their nests, are glaj|^ 

 to substitute other prey ? , ,-, 



As I was passing through Chandos Street, Cavendish Square, soon after^ 

 six o'clock this morning, my attention was attracted to a rook flying \qw\^ 

 near the walls of some out-buildings, in which were many holes occupied.by,, 

 sparrows' nests. He directed his flight to one of these holes, into whidpi i 

 he thrust himself as far as possible. It was evident that he was attempting . 

 tor^ch something with his im^^b^l^^aji^ 

 VOL. IJI. — No. 15. J J 



