BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO 81 



obstructions interposed ; and this on a still night would seem to mean au 

 elevation of at least a hundred and fifty yards. They sometimes flew lower, 

 however, and on cloudy nights often moved about barely above the tree-tops. 



* * * On the evening of July 11 — a pitch-dark evening with a thunder- 

 shower lowering, — they were remarkably noisy, both sitting in trees and 

 flying high in air. The seated ones, of which I heard only two, made the ooiv- 

 cow notes, while all the flying ones made the liquid gurgle. I heard this note 

 overhead between thirty and forty times in the course of about three hours, 

 during half of which time I was afoot on the road. 



Field marks. — This bird may be recognized as a cuckoo by its size, 

 shape, and general coloration. It can be distinguished from the yel- 

 low-billed cnckoo by the absence of the distinguishing marks of the 

 latter, the cinnamon-riifons in the wings, and the conspicuously black- 

 and-white lateral tail feathers. 



The wings of tlie black-billed cuckoo are practically uniform in 

 color with its back ; and the lateral tail feathers are dark gray, with 

 inconspicuous, grayish-white, smaller tips, bordered inwardly with a 

 dusky spot. The wholly black bill and the red eyelids can be seen 

 only at short range. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — Southern Canada and the United States east of the Rocky 

 Mountains, south in winter to northwestern South America. Acci- 

 dental in Italy, the Azores, and Ireland. 



Breeding range. — The breeding range of the black-billed cuckoo 

 extends north to southern Saskatchcvran (Jolinstone Lake, Muscow, 

 and Indian Head) ; southern Manitoba (Carberry, Portage la Prairie, 

 and Shoal Lake) ; northern INIinnesota (Crooked Lake) ; southern 

 Ontario (probably Goulais Bay, Toronto, and Stirling) ; Quebec 

 (Hull, Montreal, probably Quebec, and probably Kamouraska) ; New 

 Brunswick (Scotch Lake) ; probably Prince Edward Island (North 

 River); and Nova Scotia (Wolfville and Pictou). From this point 

 the range extends south along the seaboard to North Carolina 

 (Raleigh and Winston-Salem) ; Tennessee (Beersheba Springs and 

 Nashville) ; northwestern Arkansas (Rogers) ; eastern Kansas (Law- 

 rence and Clearwater) ; Nebraska (Red Cloud, Kearney, and Antioch) ; 

 and southeastern Wyoming (Wlieatland). West to eastern Wyoming 

 (Wheatland and Dayton) ; eastern Montana (Terry) ; and Saskatche- 

 wan (Johnstone Lake). 



The species has been detected in summer on several occasions west 

 of its breeding range. Among these are: Colorado (Fort Morgan, 

 Clear Creek, Fort Collins, and Wray) ; Wyoming (Laramie) ; Mon- 

 tana (Fort Keogh, Knowdton, and Billings) ; and western Saskatche- 

 wan (Eastend, Skull Creek, Medicine Hat, and Big Stick Lake). On 

 June 23, 1924, a partially completed nest was found near Camrose, 

 Alberta, a range extension that for the time being must be consid- 



