. Bird life glimpses . thus,without a female to excite them. Would it not beodd, too, for two males to repair, thus, to the samespot, and to continue to dwell there, being alwaysmore or less together and following one Though it was early in April, therefore, andthough we are told that the male cuckoo arrives, eachyear, before the female, I yet came to the conclusionthat these birds were husband and wife. At first itseemed to me that only one of them cuckooed, butafterwards I changed my opinion, though the twonever did so at the same time, or answered each other,whilst I had them
. Bird life glimpses . thus,without a female to excite them. Would it not beodd, too, for two males to repair, thus, to the samespot, and to continue to dwell there, being alwaysmore or less together and following one Though it was early in April, therefore, andthough we are told that the male cuckoo arrives, eachyear, before the female, I yet came to the conclusionthat these birds were husband and wife. At first itseemed to me that only one of them cuckooed, butafterwards I changed my opinion, though the twonever did so at the same time, or answered each other,whilst I had them both in view. This, however,had they both been males, they probably would have AN OPEN QUESTION 105 done. Space does not allow of my giving these twoinstances in extenso^ so I will here conclude my re-marks about the cuckoo; for I have nothing to say—at least nothing new and of my own observation—in regard to its most salient peculiarity—thoughfor saying nothing, upon that account, I think Ideserve some Male Wheat-ear CHAPTER V Another bird, very characteristic, whilst it stays,of the steppes of Icklingham, is the wheat-ear. Ablithe day it is when the first pair arrive, in splendidplumage always—the male quite magnificent, thefemale, with her softer shades, like a tender after-glow to his fine sunset. Both are equally pleasingto look at, but the cock bird is by much the moreamusing to watch. Who shall describe him and all his nice littleways—his delicate little hops ; his still more delicatelittle pauses, when he stands upright like a sentinel;his little just-one-flirt of the wings, without goingup ; his little, sudden fly over the ground, with hiscoming down, soon, and standing as though sur-prised at what he had done ; or, lastly and chiefly, hisstrange, mad rompings—one may almost call them— ERCLES VEIN 107 wherein he tosses himself a few yards into the air,and comes pitching, tumultuously, down, as thoughhe would tumble all of a heap, yet never fails
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