cuculidj:. 



339 



flight is weak and sliort, extending only from hush 

 to bush. 



The type of this sub-family, — 



The Long-billed Rain Cuckoo (Saurothera vetula), is 

 common in St. Domingo, where, it is known by several 

 familiar names ; such as the " Tacco," after one of its 

 cries, and the "Pie," from another of its notes. It is 

 generally known as the " Rain-bird," because it redoubles 

 its noisy exclamations shortly before ram. It has like- 

 wise obtained the cognomen of the " Laugher," from the 

 resemblance of its voice to a hearty laugh as it pronounces 

 the syllables qua, qua, qua ! or era, era, era ! sounds 

 wliicli it frequently gives utterance to when flying. In 

 pronouncing its cry of tacco, the first syllable is loud and 

 full, the second an octave lower. The Tacco frequents 

 indifterently the cultivated lands or the broad savannas, 

 or it may be met with in bushes or in forests. It feeds 

 principally upon caterpillars and lizards, or gives chase 

 to young rats, snakes, frogs, or even small birds. Its 

 nest is composed of dry roots, moss, and leaves, and is 

 generally constructed in the forked branch of a tree. The 

 eggs are four or five in number, of a dingy white colour 

 spotted witli black. 



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