THE YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 3 1 



Coccyzus americaniis^ Macg, Br. B. iii. p. 137 (1840); Dresser, 

 B. Eur. V. p. 227, pi. 301, fig. 2 (1876) ; Newton, ed. 

 Ycirr. ii. p. 414 (1881) ; B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 84 (1883); 

 Seebohm, Br. B. ii. p. 390 (1884); Saunders, Man. p. 280 

 (1889); Shelley, Cat. B. xix. p. 308 (1891). 



Adult Male. — Above brown, glossed with olive on the mantle ; 

 tail black, tipped with white, except the centre feathers, which 

 are like the back ; quills externally brown and also brown at 

 the ends, internally rufous ; eyebrows greyish ; ear-coverts 

 rather darker brown ; cheeks and under-surface of body white ; 

 under wing-coverts white, tinged with buff. Bill dark horn- 

 colour, paler below the nostrils, the lower mandible for the 

 most part orange-yellow ; feet leaden-grey ; iris dark brown. 

 Total length, 11 inches; culmen, I'l ; wing, 5*5; tail, 6'o ; 

 tarsus, I'o. 



Adult Female. — Similar to the male in colour. Total length, 

 ID'S inches ; wing, 5-6. 



Range in Great Britain. — A purely accidental visitor. Four in- 

 stances of its occurrence have been recorded : in co. Cork, in 

 the autumn of 1825 ; near Dublin, in 1832 ; near Aberystwith, 

 in October, 1870; and on Lundy Island, in October, 1874. It 

 has also been obtained in Belgium, and in Italy near Turin. 



Eange outside the British Islands. — Found principally in the 

 Eastern United States, eastward to the Missouri Plains, breed- 

 ing as far south as Texas, and extending on the west to Cali- 

 fornia, though Mr. Ridgway considers the western bird to be 

 distinct, and names it C. Occident alis. It also occurs in the 

 West Indian Islands and breeds there. 



Habits. — Very similar to those of our own Cuckoo, but differ- 

 ing from that species in the habit of building its own nest, rear- 

 ing its own young, and being an affectionate parent. According 

 to AVilson, it begins to pair early in May, and commences to 

 build its nest about the loth of that month, retiring to some 

 shady and retired woodland for that purpose. There seems to 

 be, even with this well-behaved parent, the same difference in 

 time between the deposition of the eggs as is to be found in 

 the case of Cuculus canorus. Audubon relates that he found 

 a nest in which were five young Cuckoos and two eggs. Two 



