150 Land Birds of New England 



FAMILY CUCULID^J. 



86. BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO ; RAIN CROW 



( Coccyzus erytJirophtJialnms . ) 



Upper parts olive-gray ; under parts white ; tail much rounded y 

 very long, and with the outer feathers with small whitish tips, 

 which are hardly noticeable in flight. Beak long, almost en- 

 tirely black, upper mandible much curved ; feet dark. Bird 

 about the size of a robin. Sexes similar. 



THE black-billed cuckoo arrives late in May, and 

 leaves us again early in September. He frequents 

 low, swampy woods and shrubbery, but is also to be 

 found more or less in cultivated ground. He seems 

 to be attracted by caterpillars of various sorts ; one 

 year, when the oak caterpillar caused great damage 

 to the college trees, the cuckoo appeared to abate 

 the nuisance. He is at no time very abundant, 

 though commoner in the neighborhood of Boston 

 than farther north. 



The nest is usually placed in a low shrub or tree 

 in wet woodland, and is commonly only a few feet 

 from the ground. Eggs are laid in June. 



The notes are somewhat varied, but all resemble 

 somewhat remotely the word cuckoo. 



LITERATURE: 



Little Brothers of the Air. OLIVE THORNE MILLER. 



