however, which distinguishes it from the utterance of any other bird. He who once hears 
the note will at once feel sure of its identity. 
Mr. Burroughs writes of the Cuckoo: ‘‘Nothwithstanding the disparity of size and 
color, the black-billed species has certain peculiarities that remind one of the passenger- 
pigeon. 
“His eye, with its red circle, the shape of his head, and his motions on alighting and 
taking flight, quickly suggest the resemblance ; though in grace and speed, when on the 
wing, he is far inferior. His tail seems disproportionately long, like that of the red thrush 
(Brown Thrasher), and his flight among the trees is very still, contrasting strongly with 
the honest clatter of the robin or pigeon.” 
The Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) is a more southern bird, much 
less frequently seen here than the Black-billed, which it closely resembles. Its salient 
peculiarities are that it has no red around the eyes, its lower mandible is yellow, and 
it has large white blotches on the under side of its tail. 
Its nest is very slightly constructed and is commonly placed in a tree. 
