Why The Cuckoo Sings "Cuckoo"

Why The Cuckoo Sings "Cuckoo". A starling was coming out of the city when a cuckoo flew up to meet him, wanting to know what opinion the people had of his singing. First the cuckoo asked, "What do people say about the nightingale?" The starling replied, "They praise the nightingale's song most highly." "What about the lark?" asked the cuckoo. "Many people likewise praise the lark's song." "What about the quail?" "There are also those who enjoy the singing of the quail." Then the cuckoo asked, "And what do they say about me?" "Well," replied the starling, "I don't know for sure; no one ever mentioned you." This was not what the cuckoo to hear! He got angry and said, "If that's how it is, then in the future I'll sing my own praises myself!"

Origo Cuculi Cantus. Ad Sturnum, qui ex urbe aufugerat, volavit Cuculus; scire enim volebat quid homines de cantu suo iudicarent. "Quomodo" interrogavit "homines de Luscinia loquuntur?" Ille respondet, "Lusciniae cantum maximopere laudant." "Quomodo de Alauda?" "Multi quidem huius cantum laudant." "Quomodo de Coturnice?" "Nonnulli etiam coturnicis cantu delectantur." "Quid vero de me iudicant?" "Hoc" inquit Sturnus "dicere tibi non possum; nusquam enim tui fit mentio." Id non exspectaverat Cuculus. "Si ita est" inquit iratus "in posterum semper de me ipse loquar."

Notes. This is Gildersleeve 8; it is an aetiological story not found in the classical Aesopic corpus. I think it's a wonderful little explanation of why the name of the cuckoo matches the sound of the song that it sings, "cuckoo! cuckoo!" The name of the cuckoo in Latin, cuculus, is also onomatopoetic.