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 hi/./y 

 Tent Caterpillars, that are so destructive. 



Their short, rounded wings and long, broad tails oive 

 them a silent, gliding flight that often enables them to 

 escape unnoticed. 



Note. A low guttural croak, "cow," "cow," etc., re- 

 pealed a great many times and sometimes varied with 

 'co\v-uh," also repeated many times. 



Nest. Flat, shabby platforms of twigs placed at Lew 

 elevations in thickets or on the lower branches of trees. 

 The tour greenish-blue eggs are 1.15x.85. 



Range. United States and southern Canada, east of 

 the Rockies. Arrives in May and leaves in September 

 for northern South America. 



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