82 CUCULINyE. CUCULUS. 



acute ; upper mandible with the dorsal line arcuate, the 

 ridge narrow, the edges with a slight sinus close to the de- 

 clinate tip ; gape-line arcuate. Tongue rather short, slen- 

 der, emarginate, and minutely papillate at the base, with 

 the tip acute, generally slit and lacerate ; oesophagus wide, 

 tapering ; proventriculus rather large ; stomach large, round, 

 with its muscular coat very thin, and composed of large 

 flattened fasciculi, the cuticular lining soft and rugous ; in- 

 testine of moderate length, rather wide ; coeca large, oblong. 

 Nostrils elliptical, with a prominent margin. Eyes of mode- 

 rate size. Feet very short ; tarsus feathered half-way down, 

 anteriorly broadly scutellate ; toes small, broad beneath, the 

 first very small, the fourth reversed, and longer than the 

 second ; claws rather small, arched, much compressed, late- 

 rally grooved, rather acute. Plumage soft and blended; 

 wings long, straight, pointed, the first quill a third shorter 

 than the second, the third pointed ; tail long, graduated, of 

 twelve rounded feathers. 



The only species which visits this country is remarkable 

 for depositing its eggs singly in the nests of other birds. 

 Several other species are suspected of doing the same ; but 

 the habit is not general in this family, probably not even in 

 the genus Cuculus. 



37. CUCULUS CANORUS. GREY CUCKOO. 



In both sexes the upper parts bluish-grey, the fore part and 

 sides of the neck ash-grey, the breast and sides of the body 

 bluish-white, transversely barred with brownish-black, the 

 quills dusky-brown, tinged externally with grey, their inner 

 webs barred with white ; the tail-feathers greyish-black, 

 spotted along the shafts and on the inner web, and tipped 

 with white. Young with the upper parts transversely barred 

 with light red and clove-brown, the lower with brownish- 

 white and dusky. 



Male, 14, 23, 8 T \, if, f, j, /,. 



This elegantly-formed and agreeably coloured bird, which 

 visits us in the end of April and departs in July or August, 

 is remarkable for its well-known cry, resembling the syllables 

 Coo-coo, and its habit of depositing its eggs in the nests of 

 the Pipit, and other small birds. It is distributed over the 

 whole country, being met with in the most northern parts, 

 and frequents parks and plantations bordered with fields and 



