o?i Hoopoes and Cuckoos. 239


When I was a boy in the country, I often kept the Cuckoo.

Some twenty odd years ago, I found a Cuckoo in a London bird-

shop. It was a typical specimen of what the Cuckoo in captivity

Usually is, but which it need not and should not be ; however, old

associations were too strong, and I bought the poor creature.

This bird had the raw meat habit, and would not look at any-

thing else ; and I did not then know how I ought to act. In

the course of time, it fell into much the same state as Mr. Astley's

Hoopoes. Unquestionably, it seems to me, they died from too

high living, no attempt being made to supply a corrective.


In May, 1898 (O.S. IV. 121), when writing about the Euro-

pean Roller, I pointed out that it did not drink, that in captivity

it ate fruit, etc., and mentioned my Hoopoes, only two of which

out of the twelve drinking water. After referring to raw meat,

mealworms, etc., I went on, — " My experience with the Hoopoe

.... has taught me that the first thing to be done with a Roller

is to get it on to sop — milk-biscuit sop is what I actually provide.

This supplies moisture ; the bird takes to it readily, and seldom

tires of it." Again, on p. 123, I wrote, — "The Hoopoe, if I mis-

take not, is supposed to be wholly insectivorous ; my birds were

not so. In addition to milk sop, I have it recorded that they

partook of rice pudding, stewed pear, and boiled cabbage ;

that they were very fond of tomatoes and stewed onion ; that

they had been seen eating young shoots of Virginia creeper; and

that they were very fond of cherries (uncooked) and red currants.

They also tried grapes, but had difficulty in 'manipulating'

them. I still have a lively remembrance of their eagerness and

excitement when cherries were tossed down, each bird seizing

and rushing off with its prize; using the bill as a gouge, they

scooped the flesh off the sides as cleverly and neatly as if they

had been at it all their lives." In theory, Mr. Astley's and Mr.

Castle-Sloane's system of feeding was wise, and mine foolish,

ridiculous. But their birds died, and mine lived — so far as food

was concerned. Mine never had fits, nor anything wrong with

skin or feathers, —chill, consumption (generally the second or

third year), and accidents disposed of my twelve. The additions

to the 'natural' diet which I have mentioned must have tended

to cool their blood ; and the general treatment stopped all



