BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. 
388. Coccyzus erythropthalmus. 11%, inches. 
Cuckoos are of quiet and retiring habits, but on ac- 
count of their mournful notes are often regarded with 
awe by the superstitious. They are one of our most val- 
uable birds, for they consume quantities of the fuzzy 
Tent Caterpillars, that are so destructive. 
Their short, rounded wings and long, broad tails give 
them a silent, gliding flight that often enables them to 
escape unnoticed. 
Note.—A low guttural croak, “cow,” “‘cow,” ete., re- 
peated a great many times and sometimes varied with 
“cow-uh,” also repeated many times. 
Nest.—Flat, shabby platforms of twigs placed at low 
elevations in thickets or on the lower branches of trees. 
The tour greenish-blue eggs are 1.15 x .85. 
Range.—United States and southern Canada, east of 
the Rockies. Arrives in May and leaves in September 
for northern South America. 
