THE BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. 331 



chou, and cuckoo, koo, koo, koo, koo, koo, and cuek-chou-ou, by no 

 means musical, but quite pleasing as an odd variety. In a 

 moment he glides by me. What a straightforward, regular, 

 noiseless and graceful flight! 



It is difficult to get a satisfactory view of this bird amidst 

 our thick summer foliage. He is so noiseless as he, " still 

 hiding, further onward wooes you;" and if he stand stock- 

 still, with head a little on one side, his color is so nearly like 

 that of the bark of the undergrowth, or is such a com- 

 promise between that and the foliage, as to render him ex- 

 ceedingly obscure. No doubt he is very happy in his way, 

 but he does indeed seem "as solitary and joyless as the most 

 veritable anchorite." 



I creep up to the bush in which he lit, and find a nest, if 

 indeed so slight and rude a structure be worthy of the 

 name a few twigs laid criss-cross, bits of dried fern, and a 

 few downy catkins of the willow on top how does the bird 

 get off and on, and keep the eggs and young on this bit of 

 trash? The eggs, some 1.12 x -83, are elliptical, and of a 

 beautiful clear or somewhat clouded light green. Arriving 

 after the middle of May, this bird seems to begin incubation 

 almost at once. The callow young are indeed queer-look- 

 ing objects; their skin, which is black as soot, is sparsely set 

 with white thread-like down. The eggs appear to be laid 

 sometimes at very considerable intervals, so that the same 

 nest may contain the young eggs partly incubated, and 

 others fresh. 



Nearly a foot in length, of which length the oblongly 

 rounded tail constitutes nearly one-half, the upper parts 

 are an elegant, glossy bronze-brown ; tail feathers, except the 

 two central, tipped with white, which joins the main color 

 in a black margin; bill and feet black, eye-lids vermilion, 

 under parts white. Male and female are alike. The young 



