434 THE CUCKOO. 



In general appearance the Cuckoo bears some resemblance to a bird of prey, but it has 

 little of the predaceous nature. It is rather curious that small birds have a tendency to treat 

 the Cuckoo much as they treat the hawks and owls, following it wherever it flies in the open 

 country, and attending it through the air. 



The color of the plumage is bluish gray above, with the exception of the wings and tail, 

 which are black, and barred with white on the exterior feathers. The chin, neck, and breast 

 are ashen-gray, and the abdomen and under wing-coverts are white, barred with slaty-gray. 



Sometimes the color varies from these tints, and a white specimen may occasionally be 

 found. Yearling birds of both sexes are hair-brown above, barred profusely with brownish- 

 red : the quill-feathers of the wing are reddish-brown, barred with white, while those of the 

 tail are of the same dark tinge, but without the white bars, and spotted with white along ths 

 centre of the feathers. The whole of the under portions of the body are gray- white, barred 

 with brown, and the short tail is tipped with white. A little white also appears on the tips 

 of some of the feathers on the upper surface of the body. The total length of the adult bird 

 is about fourteen inches. The female is rather smaller than her mate, and may be distin- 

 guished from the opposite sex by the brown bars upon her neck, and the brown tinge upon 

 the back and wings. 



