BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO 168 



The Yellow-billed is especially fond of the de- 

 structive caterpillars that make the large web 

 nests in our fruit-trees. Re- 

 mains of 43 of these caterpil- 

 lars were found in the stomach 

 of one bird shot at six o'clock 

 in the morning. But it was 

 not only this early bird that 

 got the worm, for in 21 stom- FIG. 85. 



achs examined there were 355 Section of Cucko 

 caterpillars and 23 grasshop- 

 pers, in addition to a collection of saw-flies, po- 

 tato bugs, and other insects. One stomach con- 

 tained 217 fall web-worms ! 



Black-billed Cuckoo : Coccyzus eryihrophfhalmus. 



Upper parts grayish brown, with slight green gloss ; wings and 

 tail the same, only slightly tipped with white ; under parts 

 white ; bill black. Length, about llf inches. 



GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION. North America east of the 

 Rocky Mountains ; breeds as far north as Labrador and As- 

 siniboia, and winters . in Central and South America. 



The Black-billed Cuckoo is very much like the 

 Yellow-billed, but lacks the reddish brown wings, 

 black tail, yellow mandible, and the heavy thumb- 

 marks on the tail of the Yellow-billed (Figs. 86, 

 87, p. 164). The call of the Yellow-billed is given 

 as tut-tut, tut-tut, cl-uck-cl-uck-cl-uck-cl-uck-cl-uclc,- 

 cl-uck, cow, cow, cow, cow, cow, cow ; while the 

 Black-billed, it is said, has the- cow notes con- 

 nected, and has altogether a much softer voice. 



