CUCULID.E — THK CLX'KOOS. 4^9 



the bird. While the female is sittii};4-, the male is usually not far distant, and 

 gi\-es the alarm Ijy his notes when any person is approaching. The female 

 sits so close that you may almost reach her with your hand, and then precipi- 

 tates herself to the ground, feigning lameness to draw you away I'rom the spot, 

 fluttering, trailing her wings, and tumbling over in the manner of the Wood- 

 cock and other birds. Both parents unite in providinij food for tlie voun" 

 This consists chiefly of caterpillars, particularly sucli as infest apple-trees. 



Mt. Audubon speaks of this species as not abundant anywhere, therein 

 diff'ering fron\ Wilson's statements, Init more in accordance with my own ob- 

 ser\-ations. Tliey are, as a species, pretty generally distributed, but at the 

 same time their numbers are materially attected by the character of the 

 locality, as they are chiefly to be met with on low grounds and in damp 

 places. Mr. Audubon also describes their nest as simple and flat, composed 

 of a few dry sticks and grass, formed much like that of the Carolina Dove, 

 and like it fastened to a horizontal branch, often within reach. He subse- 

 cpiently states that when in Charleston, S. C, in the early part of June, 1837, 

 he was invited by Mr. T^hett to visit his grounds in the vicinity of that city, 

 for the purpose of viewing a nest of this lard. The followhig is his account 

 of it : "A nest, which was placed near the centre of a tree of moderate size, 

 was reached by a sou of the gentleman on whose grounds we were. One of 

 the old birds, which was sitting upon it, left its situation only when within 

 a few inches of tlie climber's hand, and silently glided off to another tree 

 close by. Two young Cuckoos, nearly able to fly, scrambled off from their 

 tenement among the branches of the tree, and were caught. The nest was 

 taken, and carefully handed to me. It still contained three young Cuckoos, 

 all of difterent sizes, the smallest apparently just hatched, the next in size 

 probably several days old, while the largest, covered with pin-feathers, would 

 have been able to leave the nest in about a week. There were also in tiie 

 nest two eggs, one containing a chick, the other fresh or lately laid. The 

 two young liirds wliich escaped from the nest clung so tirndy to tlie branches 

 by their feet, that our attempts to dislodge them were of no a\-ail, and we 

 were obliged to reach them with the hand. On looking at all these birds, 

 our surprise was great, as no two of them were of the same size, which 

 clearly sliowed that they had been hatched at different periods, and I should 

 suppose the largest to have been fully three weeks older than any of the 

 rest. Mr. Rhett assured us that he had observed the same in another nest, 

 placed in a tree withiu a few paces of his hou.se. He stated that eleven 

 young Cuckoos had been successively hatched and reared in it by the same 

 pair of old birds in one season, and that young birds and eggs were to be 

 seen in it at the same time fijr many weeks in succession." 



Mr. Nuttall states that the nest of this bird is usually forsaken liy the owner 

 if the eggs are handled before the commencement of incubation. Tbey are 

 very tenacious and affectionate towards their young, and sit so close as al- 

 most to allow of being taken oft' by the baud. TJiey then frequently precipi- 



