NOTES AND QUERIES. 189 



"Cuckoo seen in March." — With reference to the note under this 

 heading (pp. 150, 151), I would like to ask, " Is it at all probable that the 

 bird in question was a Cuckoo ? " Many times as I have seen Cuckoos, and 

 observed their habits, I have never seen one fly along the bottom of a hedge, 

 and then enter in the manner described. On the contrary, this is exactly 

 what the Sparrowhawk often does when beating the hedgerows for prey. 

 The Cuckoo almost always flies at some elevation, and alights in some 

 conspicuous place ; for example, the top of a stone heap, a fence-rail, or, if 

 in a tree, on some large branch. Nor would the Cuckoo, which is an 

 exceedingly shy bird, fly along as described in front of the observer. It is 

 a far more likely assumption that the bird was a hawk than a Cuckoo that 

 either survived the past very stormy winter in this country, or arrived on 

 these shores more than a mouth before the usual time. Some years ago 

 I observed a Cuckoo in the County Wicklow on April 7th, an exceptionally 

 early date, and the bird then attracted my attention by its note. — Allan 

 Elltson (43, Cintra Park, Upper Norwood, S.E.). 



I have not as yet ever seen a Cuckoo that was even supposed to have 

 been obtained in this country before April ; till I have seen a specimen 

 positively sworn to by a competent person as so obtained, I shall remain, as 

 at present, entirely incredulous. — Lilford (Lilford Hall, Oundle.) 



Having kept notes of the arrival of the Cuckoo in this country for 

 more than thirty years I find the earliest to have occurred on the 6th 

 April, 1844, but about the 14th is the more usual date. There is a saying 

 in Sussex that it is turned out at Heathfield Fair, which is held on that 

 day — the name of the village is rustically pronounced "Hevel." — Willtam 

 Borrer (Cowfold, Horsham). 



From numerous observations made by competent naturalists in different 

 localities it appears that the usual time of arrival of the Cuckoo in this 

 country is between the 20th and 27th April ; and the average date of its 

 appearance may be said to be on the 23rd of that month, St. George's Day. 

 In no instance, so far as I am aware, has the bird been heard, or seen (by 

 any competent observer) before the 6th of April. On that date in 1872 it 

 was observed at Torquay, but this was considered by my informant an 

 unusually early date at which to meet with it. April the 23rd is taken as 

 the average for the whole of England and Scotland. In the South of 

 England April the 15th would be nearer the date of its arrival. It is 

 surprising how few people are to be trusted, either in the matter of eyes or 

 ears, in regard to the Cuckoo. Many do not know a Cuckoo on the wing 

 from a male Sparrowhawk, and others convince themselves that they have 

 heard this bird's notes when they have been listening to a clever imitation 

 by some village bird-nesting boy, or to the still more deceptive notes of a 

 cuckoo-clock in a neighbouring cottage. — J. E. Harting. 



Such a bird as a " March Cuckoo " has no place in my experience. It 



