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that their hawk-like appearance is almost entirely lost. There

are three species which are deserving of notice, viz. :— Coccyzus

minor , Saurothera bahamensis, and Croiophaga ani , but the last-

named we will notice later on when dealing with the fauna of

the pine barrens. Coccyziis minor, a near ally of the American

Yellow-billed Cuckoo, is about 13 inches in total length, of

which the tail forms seven ; the general colour of the back is

olive grey, and of the underparts ochraceous buff, the colour being

deepest on the vent and abdomen ; the bill and legs are slaty

blue, the basal two-thirds of the lower mandible being yellow.

This bird, like most of those inhabiting the coppet, is rarely seen,

but once the note is known it can be easily found as it is quite

tame, not attempting to fly away on one’s approach, This species

builds a nest, albeit a somewhat flimsy structure, made of twigs

and resembling that of a Pigeon ; the egg is large for the size of

the bird and of a blue colour, having frequently a rough deposit

of chalk on the outside. According to Audubon the eggs are

laid at intervals, so that in some cases young and fresh eggs are

found together in the same nest. The other species of Cuckoo

which I will notice here is peculiar to the Bahamas, although

nearly allied forms are found in Porto Rico, Hayti, Cuba, and

Jamaica. It belongs to a group of Cuckoos known as Ground

Cuckoos, and runs, considering the shortness of its legs, with con¬

siderable agility. In size, shape and colouring it agrees closely

with the previous species, but is considerably larger, having a

total length of 18-20 inches, and a large bare patch of skin above

the eye of a bright red colour. From the habit of uttering its

cry most vigorously before rain it is known locally, in common

with the previous species, as the Rain Crow.


It is a well known law of nature that a similarity of envi¬

ronment tends to produce similar modifications and habits, con¬

sequently, strange as it may seem at first sight, it is only natural

that one should meet in the palmetto swamps of the Bahamas

with a bird whose habits closely resemble those of the Grass¬

hopper Warbler, a common and well known inhabitant of our

fens ; I refer to the Maryland Yellowthroat (G. trichas). This

bright coloured little warbler with yellow breast and, in the male,

a black mask across the crown and sides of the face, is generally

distributed throughout the islands, preferring open swampy

country where the vegetation is low growing but thick and rank.

In such a spot throughout the winter its distinctive note may be

heard repeated, as is usual with birds inhabiting places of dense

growth, with great frequency. It is not so often seen, but has



