264 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 



the tail are light bluish grey, the same as the hack ; 

 the next feather on each side is black, with a greyish 

 tip ; the two next the same, with a spot of white near 

 the tip on the inner web ; the outside feather on 

 each side has a longish spot of white on the outer 

 web also , but rather lower down than the other spot 

 the base of all these feathers is black ; chin and 

 throat nearly white ; breast and belly buff; the flanks 

 and under tail-coverts are a sort of chesnut, the 

 feathers on the latter tipped with white ; legs, toes 

 and claws light brown. 



The egg is much like that of the Creeper in 

 colour, but considerably exceeds it in size, being 

 quite as large as that of the Blackcap. 



Family 



The Cuckoos are the last of the British Scansores, 

 and except for the fact of the outer toe on each foot 

 being reversed, there seems to be no reason why they 

 should be included in this division at all ; they, how- 

 ever, make a link between the Scansores and the last 

 division of the Insessores, the Fissirostres, having 

 the reversed toe, which is the peculiarity of many of 

 the climbers, and in a great measure the wide gape 

 of the Fissirostres. There are three species of 

 Cuckoos now included in the list of British birds, 

 but the appearance of two of these species has been 

 so unusual that they ought not to retain their place 

 in the list. 



