382 THE YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 



have the feathers above, tipped with white, and the white 

 underneath grayish. Feeding partly on small fruits, this 

 species is chiefly insectivorous. 



This Cuckoo (Coccyzus erythrophthalmus), abundant in this 

 locality, is a great traveler. Breeding from the Southern 

 States northward even to Labrador, though he may winter 

 in Florida, he sometimes goes even to the valley of the 

 Amazon. As a vagrant, he has been found in Europe. 



THE YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 



The Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus] is about 

 the size and form of the Black-billed; and, with the exception 

 of its yellow under mandible, cinnamon edging on the wings 

 and wholly black and white outer tail feathers, is precisely 

 like it in color, habit and vocal performance. It is not very 

 numerous here. Mr. Ringueberg occasionally finds the nest 

 in the vicinity of Lockport, and almost every observer 

 shoots one now and then. The nest is, if possible, even 

 slighter than that of the former species, being, in one case 

 at least, merely a "cotton rag, which was firmly caught in 

 the thorns of a barberry bush." (Minot.) The eggs are a 

 little longer, larger and lighter green; the notes are generally 

 regarded as harsher. The intervals between the depositing 

 of its several eggs are remarkable. Audubon once saw a 

 nest, containing different grades, from young ones ready to 

 fly to eggs perfectly fresh; and ascertained that eleven young 

 cuckoos had been successfully raised from a single nest in 

 the vicinity. It would seem that the Cuckoo is especially 

 noisy during meteorological changes, hence it is called, 

 quite commonly, the " Rain Crow." 



The Yellow-bill is a more southern and western bird than 

 the Black-bill, breeding throughout the United States, but 

 becoming rare, or absent entirely, as we approach our north- 



