The writer of this article has also to mention another circumstance, which entirely convinced him that the whole of the swallow genus, previous to the i setting in of winter, migrate from cold to warm -cbunt rtes.
On the I lth day-of October 1791, when on board the ship Pigott from London, bound for Phila delphia, between the capes of May and Hcnlopen, he observed immense flocks of swallows,* flying to wards the south. Next day when lie came within the Delaware, myriads also appeared, all stretching and steering their course in the same direction, which was down the river. Pennant, a naturalist whom we must always mention with veneration, although he sneers at the idea of the submersion of the swal low, yet yields, in some degree, to the opinion, that the latter hatches, or broods remain in this country and become torpid during winter ; but he has brought forward no satisfactory evidence to establish this point. The swift disappears about the middle of August, the chimney and house swallows from the IOth to the 15th of October, and the sand martin soon after them.
The bird, that in spring (April) immediately ' follows the chimney swallow and house martin, is the 1 cuckoo, (cuculus canorus,) the only species of the genus cuculus that we have in Britain. His mono tonous and short call, although somewhat unmusical, gives always delight, as it is the never-failing indica tion of approaching summer. The cuckoo often calls when flying, is restless, and seldom sits, or con tinues its notes long on one tree. The prevailing opi nion is, that it neither hatches nor rears its own young. But as we are, in general, unbelievers in most of the supposed anomalies of nature, we shall offer our doubts respecting the truth of this assertion. The opinion respecting this unnatural act of indifference of the cuckoo towards its own offspring, may be traced so far back as the days of Aristotle, who has written on the subject, and who was afterwards fol lowed by Pliny. these naturalists differ a little in their accounts ; the first averring, that the cuckoo destroys all the eggs in the hedge sparrows nest, and then deposits her own single one ; while the last author says, that the hedge sparrow, notwithstanding the disparity of size, hatches the additional egg, with the whole of her own, which remain untouched. The general study of natural history, has enabled us to judge of the degree of credit, that should be given to the many idle stories, which formerly disgra ced her volumes; such as the ostrich laying her eggs in the hot sands of Africa, and the sun hatching them without any regard on the part of the parent. Of
the fretful porcupine shooting his quills against those who assailed or annoyed him, and with many others of the same same kind. But late travel ers have convinced us of the falsity of these and such reports. We are also apt to think, that this story respecting the cuckoo, will soon, like these, pass away as a mere vulgar error. We never yet, after much pains and search, could find a cuc koo's egg, either in the nests of wood pigeons, hedge sparrows, larks, wagtails, or yellow hammers. To make all these birds stand as the foster dams to the cuckoo, is surely a most glaring absurdity. Some of them are not insectiverous, which all cuckoos are ; and we can hardly imagine, that they would change their food and habits of life, and become, contrary Y• to nature, the affectionate guardians of such unite ' countable orphans. Wood pigeons and yellow ham mers feed upon grains and seeds ; cuckoos upon ca terpillars, meal worms, maggots, dragon flies, &c. Birds, too, that are not domesticated, would hardly submit to have their own eggs thrown out, and to have such a huge one placed in their stead, without forsaking their nest. Mr John Hunter, whom we have formerly mentioned, dissected many cuckoos, and found them as well fitted and formed for incubation as any of the birds that are said to hatch them. Indeed, we have frequently made inquiries about this popu lar belief, of the cuckoo not hatching her own eggs, nor of rearing her own young, but we never were able to get any well authenticated accounts of such an unnatural abandonment of parental care. We therefore are rather inclined to be of opinion, that, upon a close investigation, the cuckoo will be found to build its own nest, to lay more eggs than one, and to bring them into life from its own incubation. Many more fabulous stories are told about this silly bird, of its being discovered in stacks of wheat, with its feathers pulled off, and of its lying hid in hollow trees, &c. ; but all such tales are void of truth, for the cuckoo undoubtedly migrates early in the season, in order to pass the winter in some more temperate climate than that of Britain.