CUCULID^ — THE CUCKOOS. 479 



the bird. While the female is sitting, the male is usually not far distant, and 

 gives the alarm by his notes when any person is approaching. The female 

 sits so close that you may almost reach her with your hand, and then precipi- 

 tates herself to the ground, feigning lameness to draw you away from the spot, 

 fluttering, trailing her wings, and tumbling over in the manner of the Wood- 

 cock and other birds. Both parents unite in providing food for the young. 

 This consists chiefly of caterpillars, particularly such as infest apple-trees. 



Mr. Audubon speaks of this species as not abundant anywhere, therein 

 differing from Wilson's statements, but more in accordance with my own ob- 

 servations. They are, as a species, pretty generally distributed, but at the 

 same time their numbers are materially affected by the character of the 

 locality, as they are chiefly to be met with on low grounds and in damp 

 places. Mr. Audubon also describes their nest as simple and flat, composed 

 of a few dry sticks and grass, formed much like that of the Carolina Dove, 

 and like it fastened to a horizontal branch, often within reach. He subse- 

 quently states that when in Charleston, S. C.,in the early part of June, 1837, 

 he was invited by Mr. Ehett to visit his grounds in the vicinity of that city, 

 for the purpose of viewing a nest of this bird. The following is his account 

 of it : "A nest, which was placed near the centre of a tree of moderate size, 

 was reached by a son of the gentleman on whose grounds we were. One of 

 the old birds, which was sitting upon it, left its situation only when within 

 a few inches of the climber's hand, and silently glided off to another tree 

 close by. Two young Cuckoos, nearly able to fly, scrambled off from their 

 tenement among the branches of the tree, and were caught. The nest was 

 taken, and carefully handed to me. It still contained three young Cuckoos, 

 all of different sizes, the smallest apparently just hatched, the next in size 

 probably several days old, while the largest, covered with pin-feathers, would 

 have been able to leave the nest in about a week. There were also in the 

 nest two eggs, one containing a chick, the other fresh or lately laid. The 

 two young birds which escaped from the nest clung so firmly to the branches 

 by their feet, that our attempts to dislodge them were of no avail, and we 

 were obliged to reach them with the hand. On looking at all these birds, 

 our surprise was great, as no two of them were of the same size, which 

 clearly showed that they had been hatched at different periods, and I should 

 suppose the largest to have been fully three weeks older than any of the 

 rest. Mr. Ehett assured us that he had observed the same in another nest, 

 placed in a tree within a few paces of his house. He stated that eleven 

 young Cuckoos had been successively hatched and reared in it by the same 

 pair of old birds in one season, and that young birds and eggs were to be 

 seen in it at the same time for many weeks in, succession." 



Mr. Nuttall states that the nest of this bird is usually forsaken by the owner 

 if the eggs are handled before the commencement of incubation. They are 

 very tenacious and affectionate towards their young, and sit so close as al- 

 most to allow of being taken off by the hand. They then frequently precipi- 



