Correspondence.
Duration of Life of Cage Birds.—My canary died to-day, aged 15 years and 2 months. The one I had before it lived for 16 years. Are not these ages considerably beyond the average?—J. B., Leicester, Aug. 24th.
Woodcock.—On the 5th of September I saw a Woodcock put up within half a mile of this place, by the side of a large pool of water. When flying off, it appeared to be at a loss to know where to go, and evidently seemed to feel like a fish out of water. I am not aware that this bird is usually seen in England before October; possibly some of your correspondents can give sane information on this point.—W. S.Gresney, Overscile, Ashby-de-la-Zouch,
Cuckoo.—In the August number of the "Midland Naturalist" I read that Mr. J. R. Thompson, of Tamworth, has "obtained a Cuckoo's egg in the South of England as early as March 3rd." Will that gentleman kindly inform your readers in what year that occurred, also by whom taken and authenticated? I have never yet heard of a really trustworthy record of the appearance of the Cuckoo in any part of England before the 6th of April; and, personally. although T have noted the arrivals of migrants for nearly twenty years i the. South of England, I have no record of the arrival of the Cuckoo before the 12th of April; neither have I known during the whole period of my observations the times of appearance to vary more than five or six days.—Henry Reeks, Manor House, Thrusten, near Andover, [Mr Thompson replies;—"The Cuckoo's egg referred to in my letter (sec ante p.227) was sent me as a curiosity by the father of one of my pupils named Boult, the son having taken it from a nest in a hedge, Couch Lane, Winkfield, Windsor, 1848. not a particularly open year, but which had some very cold weather even late in April when there were sleet and snow storms. The shrubs which had a few hours before given an appearance of summer were enveloped in snow. I am enabled to fix the date with much exactitude by circumstances which I need not mention. Mr. Boult, who was then about sixty years of age, sent me the eggs to prove that the bird in some causes arrives very early among us though seldom heard till mid-April, and the circumstance was a great surprise to himself."—Eds, M. N. J
The Cuckoo's Note.—It is with the greatest pleasure I hail the arrival of the "Midland Naturalist" from month to month, and feel deeply interested in its general subject matter, its meteorological notes, its gleanings, correspondence, &c., and never peruse it without deriving profit; and my idea is that encouragement should be given to those who ask for information through its interesting columns, as this may lead many young Naturalists to pursue a study which a rough style of answer might cause them to for sake, Hence my having replied to the enquiry of "N." in your July number, imagining some might not deign to answer a question apparently so unimportant; but the number of replies has convinced me that a hard and fast line of action is not common to the Cuckoo, (as your correspondents’ experience in different parts of the country help to show.) and that its cry somewhat varies under diverse circumstances. I should like, however, to state the opportunity afforded me in times past of observing the bird: not with any view of gainsaying the statements of your correspondents, Mr. E. J. Lowe and the Rev. A. S. Male, kindly tarnished in your September number, but with a view to a more accurate knowledge being gained by further observation in various localities. In the summer of 1815 I left London, my birthplace, for a sweetly retired village, four miles west of Windsor, and on the edge of the forest,
