Continued to call till July. 261 



near the fireplace at liberty. It readily picked a 

 mealworm given to it, and exhibited no fear at the 

 presence of a stranger. After a look round at some 

 other pets, I enquired more minutely into the history 

 of the cuckoo. It was taken from a titlark's nest in 

 Wigtonshire when very young, and hand - reared. 

 One of the great secrets of success in bird-rearing is, 

 of course, to know the proper food. A small piece 

 of raw meat it regards as a delicacy ; in the season 

 it has a little chopped lettuce, or some grated carrot 

 mixed up with some kind of meal in which there 

 may be also a sultana raisin or two. 



" Last year the cuckoo moulted in February, and it 

 is in the same condition at present. After it was 

 through the moult last year, much to the surprise of 

 its custodian, the cuckoo commenced its well-known 

 call, and continued crying till July. This is a very 

 rare occurrence, and I am not aware of any previous 

 instance of the cuckoo giving voice in captivity. 



" About the end of July it began to exhibit a rest- 

 lessness it had not previously shown. That it felt 

 warning of its' migratory instinct impelling it to fly 

 to a more congenial climate was very evident. After 

 a time it quieted down again, and began to moult its 

 feathers a second time. The cuckoo this year com- 

 menced to cry on the 7th of April, exactly a week 

 earlier than last year. The note last year was 

 clearer and firmer than it is this." * 



At the risk of seeming to repeat a little on a point 

 or two, I am tempted here to give a portion of a 

 letter written to me by Mr. Cochrane, in answer to 



* Mr. Campbell's article appeared in The Scotsman and 

 Edinburgh Evening Despatch of April 28th, i8g8. 



