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tinged with green, and a portion of the outer webs of the first two 

 white ; lower parts, with the sides of the neck and breast, tinged 

 with pale bluish-gray. Length twelve inches, wing six. 



By many the American Cuckoo is charged with the unnatural 

 conduct in relation to its progeny, which is so disreputable to the 

 European species ; that of depositing its eggs in the nest of other 

 birds, to whose mercy and care they are abandoned. If he who is 

 still of this opinion, will take the pains to observe the habits of this 

 much slandered bird, during his rambles in the woods and orchards 

 in the month of June, he will find a nest, composed of small sticks 

 and Aveeds — placed on the branch of an apple tree, or in some lonely 

 part of the woods, that contains three, and sometimes four eggs, of 

 a greenish blue color, on which the female Cuckoo is sitting, pa- 

 tiently waiting the time required for incubation. Scon after its ar- 

 rival from the South, which is about the middle of May, it begins to 

 pair and scatter about the woods and orchards, picking up a bounti- 

 ful supply of insects and berries, from which it obtains support. 



COCCYZUS ERYTHROPHTHALMUS— WILSON 



BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. 



Black-billed Cuckoo, Cuculus erythrophthalmus, Wils. Amer. Orn. 

 Cocryzus erythrophthalmus, Bo.;ap. Syn. 

 St. Domingo Cuckoo, Coccyzus Domimcus, Nutt. Man. 

 Black-billed Cuckoo, Coccyzus erythrophthalmus, Aud. Orn. Biog. 



Specific Character— Bill black ; all the tail feathers light brown, 

 tinged with green and tipped with white. Adult with the bill wholly 

 black ; upper parts light brown, tinged with green ; all the tail 

 feathers the same color as the back tipped with white ; inner webs 

 of the wing-quills pale reddish-brown ; lower parts white, tinged 

 with yellow ; the eye surrounded by a bare, wrinkled skin, bright 

 red. Length eleven inches and a half, wing five and three quarters. 



This species is about as common among us as the former, and 

 ranges over the same extent of territory. From its general resem- 

 blance to the preceding, it might very easily be confounded with 

 that species by a casual observer. 



