School: Mághthobair (Mohober), Dúrlas Éile (roll number 7048)

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1. Bird-Lore (continued)

   

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   The lark builds its nest in a meadow. It is built in such a way that it is covered by the long grass so as it may not be seen by nest-robbers. It is lined with moss and twisted grass around it, then soft cows' hair is laid on top. About three greeny brown eggs, spotted and streaked with dark brown are then layed. In about a fornight the young birds come out of the shells.
   The buchoo a large bird abut the size of a pigeon has softgrey and brown feathers on the upper parts and a white breast with black bars. The buckoo builds no nest at all; the only thing she does is to lay eggs. Then she pops the egg into the first little nest that is handy. The buckoo lays from four to six eggs in the season and always puts them into small birds' nests. The baby buckoo is a hideous little things, blind, naked, and very greedy. So greedy is it, that it soon wants the whole nest, and all the food that the parents bring, for itself. So it wriggles about in its nest until it feels one of the eggs or young birds; then the naughty little cuckoo moves backwards up the side of the nest and with a great effort pushes its burden out on to the ground to periah. The cuckoo requires a large quantity of food, for it is a large bird. It feeds upon insects, and is especually fond of caterpillars, cockchafers, moths and dragon-flies. Some little time before the cockoo's call is heard we may notice the harsh, grating cry of the wryneck, sometimes called the cuckoo's mate, cuckoo's knave or cuckoo's servant. Both cuckoo and wryneck are migratory birds, and, both being insest - feeders, they show to us why some birds leave us for the winter. The male cuckoo leave us in July, and the females soon after, but the young ones linger until October. Many of them travel as far as the African Gold Coast. The

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. agents (~1)
      1. animal-lore (~1,185)
         1. bird-lore (~2,478)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Ena Fitzgerald

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Ballintaggart, Co. Tipperary

   Informant

   Mr M. Fitzgerald

   Gender

   Male

   Age

   64

   Address

   Ballintaggart, Co. Tipperary