[ 257 ] 



the reader's judgement, the fact is as credible as that the young 

 is hatched and reared by the hedge-fparrow, and perhaps better 

 attefred. 



Another notion is very prevalent, that a young cuckow never 

 lives long enough to make its call in the fucceedmg fpring. 



I have inquired much with regard to the truth of this opinion, 

 and never could hear of but one inftance u , in addition to that 

 before cited from Gefner, which was from a fhopkeeper in Hol- 

 born, who informed me, that he had known this bird to have 

 lived more than two years in a cage. I have myfelf indeed feen 

 two cuckows, which having been reared by hand, did not die till 

 the latter end of March, and appeared a few days before to be 

 in perfect health. 



There feems to be little doubt therefore, that cuckows having 

 lived ten or eleven months may ftill furvive this critical period 

 of the fucceeding fpring, and I mould conceive that the oc- 

 cafion of their ufually dying about that time is the following. 



Willoughby informs us, that he diffecTed the ftomach of a 

 cuckow, and found in it caterpillars, with other infects ; when 

 a young bird of this kind therefore happens to be caught, the 

 fuccedaneum is commonly raw meat, cut into fmall pieres, 



u I have moft recently indeed been furniihed with another in- 

 ftance : 



A very creditable old woman, who fupplied Newgate-market with 

 live poultry, hath frequently informed her cuftomers, that having reared 

 a young cuckow, it difappeared during the whole winter, and was con- 

 cluded to have been killed ; but in the fpring it crept out of its lurking 

 place, and was afterwards very lively. This old woman died about 

 10 years ago, aged 90, and was known by the name of Mother Bent- 

 ham. 



LI 



which 



