BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. 



388. Coccyzus erytJiropthalmus. 11% inches. 



Cuckoos are of quiet and retiring habits, but on ac- 

 count of their mournful notes are often regarded with 

 awe by the superstitious. They are one of our most val- 

 uable birds, for they consume quantities of the fuzzy 

 Tent Caterpillars, that are so destructive. 



Their short, rounded wings and long, broad tails give 

 them a silent, gliding flight that often enables them to 

 escape unnoticed. 



Note. — A low guttural croak, "cow," "cow," etc., re- 

 peated a great many times and sometimes varied with 

 "eow-uh," also repeated many times. 



Nest. — Flat, shabby platforms of twigs placed at low 

 elevations in thickets or on the lower branches of trees. 

 The lour greenish-blue eggs are 1.15 x .85. 



Range. — United States and southern Canada, east of 

 the Rockies. Arrives in May and leaves in September 

 for northern South America. 



