THE JAMAICA CUCKOO. 183 



Description -Cries Names Habits. 



lour. This species inhabits Malabar, where the 

 natives hold it sacred. It feeds on reptiles, 

 which, perhaps, may be such as are the most 

 obnoxious ; if so, this seeming superstition might 

 have taken its origin from a more reasonable 

 foundation than many others of the like sort. 



THE JAMAICA CUCKOO. 



THIS species is somewhat bigger than a 

 blackbird. It is frequent in the woods and 

 hedges of Jamaica all the year round, and has 

 the name tacco, from its cry, which is like that 

 word ; the first syllable of this is pronounced 

 boldly, the other following in a full octave lower 

 than the first. It has also another cry like qua, 

 qua, qua; but that only when alarmed by an 

 enemy. It has also the name of rain-bird, as it 

 is said to make the greatest noise before rain. 

 It is very tame, and feeds on seeds, small worms, 

 caterpillars, lizards, small snakes, frogs, young 

 rats, and sometimes even small birds. The 

 snakes they swallow head foremost, letting the 

 tail hang out of the mouth till the fore-parts are 

 (digested. It is so gentle as to suffer the negro 

 children to catch it with their hands. Its gait is 

 that of leaping like a magpie, being frequently 

 seen on the ground; and its flight but short, 

 phiefly from bush to bush. At the time when 

 #ther birds breed, they likewise retire into the 



