CHAPTER XXXIII. 



August 6 August 12. 



THE YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 



Order Coccyges Suborder Cuculi 



Family Cuculidae Subfamily Coccyginae 



Genus Coccyzus Species Coccyzus americanus 



Length 11.90 to 12.70; wing, 5.40 to 5.80; tail, 6.00 to 6.15. 

 Migration North, May; south, October. 



"Delightful visitant! with thee 



I hail the time of flowers, 

 And hear the sound of music sweet 



From birds among the bowers. 



"Sweet bird! thy bower is ever green, 



Thy sky is ever clear; 

 Thou hast no sorrow in thy song, 



No winter in thy year." 



The family Cuculidse, composed of the cuckoos has in it 

 about one hundred and seventy-five species. Of these about 

 thirty-five are found in the Americas. In the Middle West we 

 have but two, the yellow-billed and black-billed cuckoos. These 

 resemble each other very much. They may be distinguished 

 by the color of their bills and tails. The lower mandible of the 

 first is yellow and of the other black ; the tail feathers of the 

 first is conspicuously tipped with white, which extends down 

 the outer vane of the outer feather ; of the other the tail feath- 

 ers are narrowly tipped with white. They are rather solitary 



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