NOTES AND QUERIES. 85 
specially fine morning in May, of which I have clear recollection, I went 
out at five o’clock to find that not a single egg had been laid. Neither were 
the birds to be seen about any of the nests. I need not say that before I 
went out there had been about two hours of broad daylight. This experi- 
ence of the habits of birds was new to me at that time, and I have not 
hitherto seen anything touching upon the matter in any of the journals.— 
J. W. Payne (Edinburgh). 
Popular Fallacies concerning the Cuckoo.—A propos of the paragraph 
which appeared on this question in ‘ The Zoologist’ for November (1897, 
p. 512), perhaps you may consider the Northumbrian version of this rhyme 
of sufficient interest for insertion. Although it does not differ materially 
from that in use in the midlands, several little dissimilarities will be 
noticed. Thus:— 
‘*'The Cuckoo is a pretty bird, 
She whistles as she flies ; 
She brings us good tidings, 
And tells us no lies. 
She sucks little birds’ eggs 
To make her voice clear, 
And never says ‘cuckoo’ 
Till summer is near.” 
This is well known to, and repeated by, almost every school-boy in these 
parts; another equally popular rhyme being :— 
‘In Aperill she shows her bill, 
In May she sings both night and day, 
In June she changes her tune, 
In July away she must fly, 
In August go she must.” 
The reference to the departure in August must be taken as applying to old 
birds only (and those are they which sing), for young ones remain with us 
several weeks longer; but how true is the allusion to the change in the 
song as summer advances! and how admirably is that change expressed in 
Heywood’s lines :— 
‘¢TIn Aprill the Koocoo can sing her song by rote, 
In June of tune she cannot sing a note ; 
At first koo-coo, koo-coo, sing still she can do, 
At last kooke, kooke, kooke; six kookes to one koo.” 
The “ sucking of little bird’s eggs” is generally accepted in the north, 
and I think rightly so, though positive evidence upon the point is always 
difficult to obtain when wanted. ‘To instance a single case within my own 
experience, I may mention that one day, a good many years ago, I recollect 
