380 BRITISH BIRDS. 



There is not a district inland or on the coast, mountain or plain, open 

 country or forest, in which it may not often be seen in the course of the 

 summer. In Norway I have seen it on the tundras above the limit of 

 forest-growth, where it is only able to find a perching-place on the rocks 

 or the stunted bushes and willows to be found in the sheltered valleys. On 

 the moors in Yorkshire, or in the remotest parts of the Highlands, it may 

 often be seen flitting from one stunted bush to another in a very Hawk- 

 like manner, every now and then uttering its loud and well-known cry of 

 cuckoo. Dixon has even met with this bird almost at the summit of the 

 Cullin Hills, in Skye, where there was nothing for it to perch upon but the 

 lichen-covered rocks. On the moors the Cuckoo is very fond of perching 

 on rocks, and especially on the " dry walls," but in cultivated districts is 

 most frequently seen in trees and occasionally on the ground, where it 

 progresses by a series of somewhat awkward jumps. Its flight is usually 

 straight, unwavering, and moderately quick. It carries its long tail 

 straight out ; and its rapidly-beaten wings and short neck give it a very 

 Sparrow-Havvk-like appearance. Sometimes it will turn and twist about 

 in a very erratic manner, and often swoop close to the earth or into a tree- 

 top. This resemblance to the Birds of Prey is doubtless a protection to the 

 weak and defenceless Cuckoo from the birds it mimics so closely. At the 

 same time, however, it causes the Cuckoo much annoyance from the various 

 smaller birds that mob it incessantly and follow it about from place to 

 place. Its resemblance to a Hawk is very often the cause of its death; for 

 the gamekeeper shoots it down at every opportunity, not only in the belief 

 that he is killing an obnoxious creature, but also to prevent it from turning 

 into a Plawk in winter ! 



The common note of the Cuckoo is almost too well known to need 

 description ; but it appears to be confined to the male. The bird begins to 

 utter its note a few days after its arrival, probably when the females have 

 made their appearance. This note is clear, full, and powerful, resembling 

 the syllables cuc-koo, and may often be heard for more than a mile. About 

 the second week of June this note perceptibly alters its tone, as if the bird 

 were labouring under great difficulty in uttering it. A syllable is also now 

 added to it, and it resembles cuc-cuc-koo, uttered in rather a harsh tone. 

 Its note in early summer is also sometimes prolonged into three syllables, 

 but then it is cuc-koo-koo. The Cuckoo occasionally calls as he flies, 

 generally when within a few yards of an intended perching-place; but 

 more often the note is heard when the bird is at rest in some tree or on a 

 wall. The male Cuckoo sometimes adds to his cry a few low notes, a sort 

 of chatter or hoarse laugh, which is said to be also uttered by the female 

 and appears to be their alarm-note. The call-note of the female in spring 

 is a loud and rapid kwow-ow-ow-ow, intermediate between a whistle, a 

 laugh, and a scream, reminding one of bubbling water. 



