[ 9® ] I
I.
- COMMON
CUCKOW.
G e n u s X IX . C U C K O W .
N ” 4 7 . Grey-headed C. N °4 8 . Sonnerat’s C.
Qpinmon Cuckow» Gen. 5jia. iL p. 509. N° 1 .-—Arfi. Zool. ii. p. 266. A.
Cuculus canorus, Brun. N° 36.—Muller, N° 95.—Georgi Reife» p. 165.-—
Sepp Fog. pi. in p. 117.— Faun. Arag. p. 73.
J A M informed, by an accurate oblerver of Englijh birds, and their
• manners *, that the time o f the Cuckew’s coming is almoft to
a certainty on the tenth or twelfth o f April, and that the males arrive
firft. In the ftomach o f thefe he has more than once ob-
lerved feveral of the caterpillars o f the Fox Moth f , which is large,
and no doubt a delicate morfel.
O f the birds o f the firft year, fearee two feem alike:- in fome
the bars are doubly more numerous than in others j and in one I
obferved this year, feat to me by Mr. Boys, of" Sandwich, the
ground-colour was of a browuilh blue. I have alfo been informed,
that now and then a bird has been met with, at the very firft
coming in fpring, in which the ferruginous ground-colour o f the
plumage was yet manifeft on the upper parts of the body.
The egg figured by Sepp is certainly not that o f the Cuckow,
being in lhape fimilar to that of a Hawk: it is very like the Jackdaw’s
infize and lhape, of a greenilh white, fpeckled with brown;
whereas the true Cuckow’s egg is not much bigger than that of a
* Mr. Green, of L a m b e t h . -Lambeth j- Phaltene Rubi,—Lin.
2 Hedge
C U C K O W.
Hedge Sparrow, greatly elongated in lhape, the ground-colour not
unlike it, and mottled all over with ferruginous purple *.
I have mentioned before the circumftance o f my having heard
the Cuckow call in the night. This happened again to me, the
ioth o f May, 1783, when, being in my own garden, between eleven
and twelve at night, 1 heard one call feveral times together
very diftinftly. It may not be amifs to obferve, that not only the
laft night, but the others in whieh I heard it, was bright moonlight.
The Cuckow extends to India. I have twice feen it in drawings
from thence.
99
Eaftern Black Cuckow, Gin. Syx. ii. p. 518.
Var.C .
EASTERN
BLACK C.
C I Z E of a Magpie: length fixteen inches. Bill whitilh, pretty
. ftrong: general colour of the plumage black; acrofs thé
wings three narrow bars bf white, and near the end bf the tail the D e s c r i p t io n .
fame: legs pale blue.
Inhabits India; called Cowed.— Lady Impey. P e a c e ,
I find that there are two or three fpecies of Cuckows in India,
which are known by the name of Kuill, or Cowed; one as largë as
a Jay, and all o f them frequenting woods. They for the moll:
part fly in fmall flocks, rarely lingly : the food infeéts. Thefe are
held in veneration by the Mahometans -, but by others the flelh is
accounted delicate, a Angle bird being fometimes fold to the lovers
of good eating for twenty-four livres. It is faid to ling very
finely, as a Nightingale +.
* Portland Mufeum. f EJf. Philof. p, 68*
O 2 Honey