May 25—Turn your money when studied birds (and other animals) you first hear the Cuckoo—you'll still have some when he comes again." I wonder how many people who wake early have thought of old sayings such as the above during the past few days? Because we have all recently had abundant opportunity to hear the call of Cuculus canopus telephonns (the European Cuckoo), and I must confess that I hesitate to record some of the details I have observed in case somebody should call me. a....prevaricator of the truth. This" particular specimen of the Cuckoo race is, In my opinion, nothing more then what Gilbert called "a love-lorn loon," and he is proving it every morning: his ladylove is the dourest body I have ever seen; she sits mum-chance in a tree while her poor wretched swain sings his "head off on any perch: he is really doing his best lo charm her and. she hasn't got a word to sy. Every time he approaches her perch, singing as he goes, she just slides off sideways and disappears on to. another tree about four hundred yards away: the pair of them are the easiest birds to follow which I have ever mel; for example, during half an hour this morning we never got out of touch through eye and ear, and never moved outside a square.|halémnile. As T have said before, the female docs not utter a sound: the male sits on every possible low perch and sings his best; he is not a clever singer and when' he gets tired his call becomes "Derek-00"; 30 weary is he, in fact, that if he tries to porch on the limb of a tree, he usually falls oft, muttering and' cursing like a sailor's parrot, "Waak-taak-wa-ki-Ikickickikee-" T Know that nobody will believe this story, because I have hlering. these. platitudes, which the have met ther will not pOWGT" fo. cart Front rue "Nonra-Cunva Dan News," or Juxr 1, 1876
Wo are informed that preparations for making the largest iron casting. ever attempted in China, are nearly' com= Bleted at Kiangnan Arsenal, The calculated weight of the casting Ie thirty tons, "but a large quantity of metal will' be melted 10 ensure success, "Ewo casting of similar weight have to be made They are "intended for" the foundation of the large steam hammer now. in progress of erection at the forge "attached to" the rife-ordnance department, under' the superintendents of Mr. Cowan, who has had considerable experience in such matters. Tt should bbe mentioned that there Ie' no foreign moulder employed at the Arsenal, all the work being done by Chinese. it Is bolloved that the largest castings ever Defore attempted and successfully Fied onl in China, were sise. made this "Arscnal—the "eyiniders and. con= densers for the engines of the two frigates, No. 3 and of the cone densers' weighing tons. when Fron "Norru-Canxa Dany Suxe 2, 1876.
We have seen a copy of an Illustrated paper just issued by the proprietor of the *Snunpso." Tt containe, eighteen engravings, with a few pages of Chinese letter-press "explaining" the " subjects, is published at the moderate price 20 cents. Some of the engravings fare very good—notably one of the Suez 2 question whether' the Chinese prefer almost. exclusively for pictures, But it ts perhaps as well to five them a. variety, and. the result ferlainiy is that the) paper worth by foreigners Well yesterday, by way of ts, Sydney papers of May Gonly 20 days old. It Melbourne would condescend {0 avail itself of Ue same route, we might have had. their ay May 2, But Melbourne Perales a posting yik Galle, and. we shall" probably have to. wali another three Weeks for Its corresponding dates. for a lifetime and have never seen or heard anything ike it, One of these days, if I live to be very old, for very wealthy (which two things are about the meantime I advise any bird-student to go out and watch... and listen....and perhaps turn "his money, in case of accidents, May 28—A facetious gentleman. wrote to the papers recently complaining that either he or his servant had mistaken the noise made by a frog for one made by a, bird, or vice versa; whoever was responsible for the error (the facetious gentleman, the servant, the frog or the bird), I would like to say that he was erring in good company; for most birds are capable of making frog-like noises, and many frogs make noises Ike birds; asthe following story may help to illustrate, I have always been rizzled by the Reed-Warblers (which are with us now) and have myself been facetious about the Great Reed-Warbler, remarking that It Is the clown of the bird circus, that it makes frog-like attempts at song, and that it reminds me of many of my friends who have. the song-in-the-bath habit: La Touche refers to these birds as "croaking out. their harsh song." but Mr, Caldwell in "South China Birds" calif ita "gurgling sweet song of springtime! Here is a puzzle indeed which T'was determined to solve; and here is the answer. The other morning T was inspecting some small reed-ponds from which the Chinese had been cutting out the succulent stems which they "call "Kao-bah" (though It Sounds to me more like "Gor-bar" When I have asked the name of the vegetable). Suddenly a small sweet song came to my ears, as Ifa Lark had crashed among the reeds and was gasping out a last husky swan-song: suddenly I caught sight of the little songster and found it" to be the small Von Schrenk's Read-Warbler which passes us migrant, and which Mr, Caldwell has in some way confused with the Great Reed-Warbler, So I went home feeling that I' had done my Boy Scout act for the day: I had forged another link in the chain of thought between frogs and birds, May, 30-1 must record the position of birds nesting in my. Barden, for comparison with next year: "it must be done in. short @iary form, Magpies. © "Maggie's" children which came out of the nest on the 3rd. May are still with me; they come regularly every morning for their breakfast under their favourite Deodar; for the past two Weeks or more they have been seen playing, evening and snorning, In and. about the extra nest their' parents built in the tree across the road: this, seems to prove my theory. that Magpies definitely' keep. "nursery nests" (or dumps of sticks) for their young, just as the Bower birds of Australia build playgrounds for themselves: the theory is too startling to be enlarged upon at present. Doves, Few come to feod because they have spread themselves among the sur-Founding gardens and dare not leave their young: no young birds yet Jabserved. Blackbirds. "Fendy-alone" has got her brood out and they are all the roof screaming for food: Fendy's husband looks like a bunch of Fags... he has been fighting every: bird'''in the neighbourhood "and screams with rage when any large bird comes near. Shrikes, Mr. and Mrs, Shrike have five children again, fand they mew like kittens all day for food; the daily slaughter of Sparrows continues, and feathers are strewn beneath the peach tree as the "kills" (only about one a day) are torn and divided among' the young: asters. (Father and Mother get the head and treat it like an oyster), Sparrows. Young coming out daily... but time is up... entry finished!
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.