SUMMER BIRDS OF SHAw'S GARDEN. 45 



taken for the notes of the Mourning Dove at a distance. But 

 the Cuckoo of the Garden was not only a voice, it was also a 

 common sight, as, contrary to its reputed aversion to long 

 flights over open ground, its long-tailed, slender form was 

 frequently seen gliding from one part of the Garden to an- 

 other. Though its body is not longer than that of a Robin, 

 its two and one-third inches longer tail brings its whole length 

 nearer to that of a Dove, for which it might be mistaken at 

 times. Its glossy white underparts in sharp contrast with the 

 brown upper parts are good marks for recognition and the 

 pecuHar outline of the bird on wing, together with its straight 

 swift flight, distinguish it at once from all other birds of simi- 

 lar size. 



Since hairy caterpillars are its favorite food, there is no 

 more useful bird in the Garden than the Rain Crow, though 

 its promises of rain may not always be fulfilled. 



BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. Coccyzus erythrophtholmus. 



While the Yellow-billed Cuckoo is by far the more common 

 of the two species in this section of the United States, a pair 

 of Black-billed Cuckoos also chose the Garden for a summer 

 abode. 



At first sight the two species resemble each other closely in 

 shape, color and size, the small difference of half an inch in the 

 length of this smaller species being hardly perceivable, but 

 even in flight the Black-billed can be distinguished from the 

 other l)y the absence of the cinnamon color of the wings, 

 which in this species are glossy brown like the back. Seen 

 from below the Black-billed has very little white at the tips 

 of the brown tailfeathers, while the Yellow-billed shows con- 

 spicuous white patches on the end of the black tailfeathers. 

 In good light the color of the bill tells the species easily apart, 

 but it is only the lower mandible which is yellow in the one 

 and black in the- other, while the upper is black in both. The 

 red color around the eye in the erythrophthalmus is \dsible 

 only with a field glass. In fall the young of the year are not 

 quite so easily distinguished, all characteristics being less 

 apparent, especially the marks on the tailfeathers and the 



