Mourner the Dove and Cuckoo 



"Why? "demanded Peter. 



"Do you see that cobwebby nest with all those 

 hairy caterpillars on it and around it up in that 

 tree?" asked Kitty. 



Peter replied that he did and that he had seen 

 a great many nests just like it, and had noticed how 

 the caterpillars ate all the leaves near them. 



"I'll venture to say that you won't see very 

 many leaves eaten around that nest," replied Kitty. 

 "Those are called tent-caterpillars, and they do 

 an awful lot of damage. I can't bear them myself 

 because they are so hairy, and very few birds will 

 touch them. But Cuckoo likes them. There he 

 comes now ; just watch him." 



A long, slim Dove-like looking bird alighted 

 close to the caterpillar's nest. Above he was 

 brownish-gray with just a little greenish tinge. 

 Beneath he was white. His wings were reddish- 

 brown. His tail was a little longer than that of 

 Mourner the Dove. The outer feathers were 

 black tipped with white, while the middle feathers 

 were the color of his back. The upper half of his 

 bill was black, but the under half was yellow, and 

 from this he is called the Yellow-billed Cuckoo. 

 He has a cousin very much like himself in ap- 

 pearance, save that his bill is all black and he is 

 called the Black-billed Cuckoo. 



Cuckoo made no sound but began to pick off the 

 [259] 



