200 GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOO. 



though it visits Greece and Southern Russia ; in Asia Minor, 

 Palestine, and Northern Persia, however, it occurs on migration and 

 in summer. It is common and resident in Egypt and Nubia, and 

 breeds throughout the wooded districts of Northern Africa, occa- 

 sionally wandering to the Canaries ; while in the cold season it goes 

 as far south as Damara-land and Kaffraria. 



In Spain, as already mentioned, it generally selects the Magpie 

 as foster-parent, and I have found as many as four of its eggs, 

 with six of those of that bird, in the same nest ; occasionally a 

 Raven's or Blue-winged Magpie"s is made use of In Egypt the 

 Hooded Crow's is chosen, and in Algeria the Moorish Magpie's. 

 The Cuckoo takes the egg in her bill, and after placing it in the 

 nest, often ejects an egg of the foster-parent to make room for 

 her own. So common is the bird at Aranjuez that my man and I 

 took forty-four eggs in the course of two mornings, but we climbed 

 to at least two hundred ]\Iagpies' nests. The egg is pale green, 

 streaked and spotted with russet and dull lilac, sometimes closely 

 resembling that of the Magpie, but of a much firmer and smoother 

 texture: average measurements i"2 by '96 in. A female shot on 

 April 6th had a well-formed egg in her oviduct, but early in May is 

 the usual time for laying. The food consists of insects. The note 

 of the male is a harsh kark-kark ; that of the female burroo-burroo. 

 Col. Irby gives August 7th as the latest date for Spain. 



The adults of both sexes have the crown grey with a long-pointed 

 crest ; upper parts greyish-brown with white tips to most of the 

 feathers ; tail-feathers, except the central ones, largely tipped with 

 white ; neck buffish-white ; under parts dull white. Length 15 in. ; 

 wing 8 in. The young bird is much handsomer, having a nearly 

 black head and nape, buff neck and breast, and the upper paits of 

 the primaries chestnut. 



An example of the American Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Coccyz2is 

 americanus, was shot in co. Cork in the autumn of 1825 ; another 

 near Dublin in 1832 ; a third in Pembrokeshire, also in the autumn 

 of 1832 ; and a fourth near Aberystwith in October 1870. On the 

 Continent, one was obtained in Belgium in October 1874, and 

 another near Turin in 1883. Admitting that all these have occurred 

 at the time of migration, I cannot believe that they have crossed 

 the Atlantic without human assistance ; and the same remark 

 applies to the American Black-billed Cuckoo, C. erythropthalmus, a 

 specimen of which was shot near Belfast about September 25th 1871 ; 

 while in Italy one was killed near Lucca in 1858. 



