190 
NATURE NOTES 
655. Cuckoos. — In reply to Mr. Daubeny's question, “ Do cuckoos eat the 
larva of the sawfly on gooseberry bushes?” I can say “Yes.” I have seen them 
doing so in the garden of my friend Mr. Charles Pudsey-Dawson at Orleton, in 
Herefordshire. The cuckoos became quite tame in this garden, sitting fearlessly 
on the posts and beanstalks. They flew round the gooseberry-bushes taking the 
grubs on the wing, and sometimes settled on the ground beneath and jumped up 
to catch their prey. In the year that I saw them they completely cleared the 
gooseberry-bushes of this destructive grub. 
September 3, 1908. Aubrey Edwards. 
656. The lady writer of No. 644 tells us that “Cuckoos feed on eggs.” 
This, and sundry other antiquated beliefs, such as their tearing little birds to 
pieces and devouring them, linger on still here and there. A cursory look at the 
bill and feet of a cuckoo will be sufficient to show that it is not a bird of prey. 
The charge that “cuckoos feed on eggs” has frequently been disproved, and 
has arisen from the habit of the female carrying her own egg in her mouth. The 
egg is laid on the ground, taken up in the mouth and deposited in the nest of 
another bird. Cuckoos are wholly insect-eaters — they live principally, if not 
entirely, on caterpillars, especially hairy ones, such as the larvae of tiger-moths. 
One of the objects of Nature Notes is to save the character of useful birds. 
Edmund Thos. Daubeny. 
657. Swifts. — Miss Gibbs’s question in her interesting note on “ A Tame 
Swift” in last month’s number of Nature Notes can probably be answered in 
a reassuring sense. If there were any other swifts in the place, it would join 
them, learn to feed itself and go in their company to Africa. 
The young swift does not leave the nest until it flies with its parents to 
Africa. The swifts come here only to breed, and leave as soon as they can. 
In the January number of Nature Notes, 1891, and in the four following 
numbers there is an account of these wonderful birds and their doings. I think the 
young bird does not re-enter the nest but goes off straight to Africa. I have 
never ventured to feed a swift, but have several limes given them water to drink. 
September 3, 1908. Aubrey Edwards. 
658. Three Tame House-Martins. — As I have seen in “ Natural 
History Notes” an account of a swift being brought up by hand, I think perhaps 
it might interest some of your readers to hear how I brought up three young 
house-martins. 
In August last I was away on my holiday in North Wales, when one morning 
before breakfast the house-martins were heard fighting a great deal round a nest, 
which, amongst others, was built under the eaves of the house where I was 
staying. A few hours later we discovered that the nest had been completely 
destroyed, and on the ground we found three young birds, all partially fledged. 
I at once picked them up and put them in a basket, which I placed in the 
kitchen, not far from the fire. About every hour I fed them with minute pieces 
of raw meat and a little water. During the night I had the basket in my room 
and gave them the same food two or three times. This I continued to do all 
the time that I had them. At first I had to force open their beaks, but after 
about two days they opened them of their own accord, and when hungry, chirped 
incessantly until food was given to them. The meat I gave them on the end of 
a small stick, and the water by means of a tiny spoon. Two of the birds seemed 
rather weak one morning, but they soon recovered on being placed in the sun 
for a few minutes. When I had had them nearly a fortnight, the largest one 
flew quite suddenly out of a window, and on being taken out of doors the follow- 
ing day the second went also ; the third and last flew a day later. 
I was very sorry when they went, as they were pretty little things, and so 
tame that they would sit quite quietly on the edge of the basket to be fed, and 
allow me to carry them about on my hand. I am anxious to know if they would 
be able to feed themselves after they had flown. Also whether it must have been 
sparrows that destroyed the nest, as we found a young sparrow dead at the place 
where we found the martins. 
43, Argyle Road, Ealing. 
Gertrude E. Bowling. 
