BIRDS. 237 
Delightful visitant ! with thee 
I hail the time of flowers, 
When heav'n is fill'd with music sweet, 
Of birds among the bowers. 
The schoolboy wandering in the wood, 
To pull the flowers so gay, 
Starts, thy curious voice to hear, 
And imitates thy lay. LOGAN. 
THE well-known notes of this bird, in spite of their 
monotony, are heard with pleasure in spring, as a sure 
prognostic of fine weather. The Cuckoo is generally 
first heard about the middle of April, and ceases towards 
the end of June. The Cuckoo is so shy a bird, that he is 
seldom seen when uttering his singular note. The female 
does not build a nest, but lays her eggs in those of some 
otlier bird, generally in that of the sparrow. 
The Cuckoo is somewhat less than the magpie ; his 
length being about twelve inches from the tip of the bill 
to the end of the tail. He is remarkable for his round 
prominent nostrils ; the lower part of the body is of a 
yellowish colour, with black transverse lines on the throat 
and across the breast ; the head and upper part of the 
body and wings are beautifully marked with black and 
tawny stripes, and on the top of the head there are a few 
white spots. The tail is long, and on the exterior part, or 
edges of the feathers, there are several white marks; the 
ground colour of the body is a sort of grey. The legs are 
short, and covered with feathers, and the feet are com- 
posed of four toes, two before and two behind. 
We are indebted to the observations of Dr. Jeuner for 
the following account of the habits and economy of this 
singular bird in the disposal of its egg. He states that, 
during the time the hedge-sparrow is laying her eggs, 
which generally occupies four or five days, the Cuckoo 
contrives to deposit her egg among the rest, leaving the 
