COMMON CUCKOO. 



CUCULUS CANORUS, Linn. 



Cuculus canorus. Linn. S. N. i. p. 168 (1766) ; Nauru, v. 

 p. 196; Macg. 'in. p. 109; Hewitson, i. p. 251 ; Yarr. 

 ed. 4, ii. p. 387 ; Dresser, v. p. 199. 



Coucou gris, French ; Kuckuk, German ; Cuco, Cuclillo, 

 Spanish. 



Although I for some time flattered myself in the 

 delusion that I was, from close and constant obser- 

 vation, acquainted with certain facts in connection with 

 the habits of this well-known but very eccentric visitor, 

 that were but little known to my fellow-lovers of birds, 

 1 must frankly confess that I find every scrap of my 

 supposed " private information " set admirably before 

 the public by my friend Professor A. Newton, in his 

 article on this species in the 4th edition of Yarrell's 

 ' British Birds,' vol. ii., with many additional details of 

 which I was previously ignorant. As I imagine that 

 all those who care sufficiently for ornithology to sub- 

 scribe to my book are either possessed of, or have 

 ready access to, the work to which I have referred, and 

 as I do not profess to write a history of my subject, I 

 will merely state for the information of those to whom 

 birds are interesting only as beautiful creatures, and 

 not as objects of study or observation, that the male 



