CALL NOTES 
217 
1 make with complete confidence the state- 
ment that it is the male alone which calls 
“ cuck-oo. ,, 
Owing to the futility of attempting to express 
adequately the call or song of a bird in syllables, it 
is possible that when I have written “ bubbling ” 
for the female call, some readers may have thought 
of the “ chuckle ” of the male which might also be 
expressed by “ bubbling.” But the two calls do 
not really resemble one another. The call of the 
female is a sharp reel, not so remotely resembling 
the “ hinny ” of the Dabchick. 
In moments of excitement the male produces 
two or more “ cucks ” to one “ 00,” and he has 
to express a variety of emotions on a limited 
vocabulary. 
Besides her identifying call, the female utters 
a noise peculiar to herself when she is watching 
her destined fosterers. I have described this as 
“ mewing.” It is a low and fascinating murmur, 
and to become familiar with, or even to hear it, 
one needs to be very near a female when her 
attention is concentrated upon her dupes. In 
addition there is that which I termed “ wah- 
wahing,” usually uttered in flight. 
Now when a male settles he usually calls 
