S24 NATURAL HISTORY. 



like our Woodpeckers, the Cuckoos possess the zygodactyle foot of the climbing bird in a very perfect 

 degree. They differ from others of the Scansorial group by the position of the nostrils, which are 

 placed rather low in the upper mandible, not far from the cutting edge of it. There are three sub- 

 families of Cuckoos, distinguished by the form of the wing : the first of these has the wings short, 

 rounded, and with from two to six, or even seven, of the primaries slightly indented in the middle. 

 They have the feathers of the thigh close-set, and not over-hanging like those of a Hawk, as is the case 

 with the true Cuckoos. 



THE BUSH CUCKOOS (Phcenicophaina}. 



These birds have representatives in India, Axistralia, and Africa, and even South America. Some 

 of them are of very varied and beautiful plumages, and many of them reach the size of a moderate 

 game-bird. The first genus of these Bush Cuckoos contains 



THE LARK-HEELED CUCKOOS, OR COUCALS (Coit,-opus). 



These are remarkable for the form of the hind toe, which is furnished with a straight nail or claw, 

 very strong, always equalling and often surpassing the length of the hind toe itself. These Lark- 

 heeled Cuckoos do not occur in Europe, but are found all over Africa, India, and Burmah, to China, 

 and throughout the Malayan Archipelago to Australia. They frequent the thick bush, and have a 

 very similar call-note, which has been rendered by some observers as resembling the syllables " bop 

 bop," while on the West Coast of Africa, from their cry " hoot, hoot," they have been nicknamed by 

 the colonists the " Scotchman." Writing of the Eyebrowed Lark-heel, Mr. Thomas Ayres says : 

 '' This bird frequents the dense bush, and principally lives amongst impenetrable creepers, where 

 it hunts about in search of the insects which it feeds upon ; if disturbed, it flies but a short distance. 

 The note is a loud, melancholy, cooing noise; they call most in wet weather. They are fond of 

 getting up into trees that are covered with creeping plants, and sunning themselves ; they generally 

 fly on to the lower part, and then gradually hop upwards till they gain the top, but they can fly a 

 very short distance at a time, and are easily caught if chased out into the open grass, though 

 they lie very close, and it requires a good dog to find them. If disturbed, they immediately fly to 

 the thickest cover near at hand, and commence running, like the Rails." Mr. Ayres says that they 

 feed on Grasshoppers, Caterpillars, and other insects; but Mr. Rickard, another excellent field naturalist, 

 in South Africa has found a small Snake and Locusts in their stomachs, one having a small bird 

 a White- eye (Zosterops) inside him. The Lark-heeled Cuckoos are not parasitic, like the true Cuckoos 

 and many others : that is to say, they build their own nests, and do not employ the nests of other birds 

 to place their eggs in. When hatched, the yoxmg birds are very curious, being covered with long hairs 

 and bristles. In colour the Lark-heels are for the most part rufous, with black heads, but some of 

 them are almost entirely rufous, the shafts of all the feathers much stiffened, so that the plumage lies 

 very close, which must be of advantage to birds Avho have to climb a great deal amongst the lianas 

 and creepers of tropical forests. 



Of the Indian Coucal (Centropus bengalemis) an interesting account is given by Mr. Gammie, 

 which affords a very good idea of the habits of these Bush Cuckoos. He says.: " This species has 

 increased largely of late. Among grassy scrub, up to 3,500 feet, it is now abundant, where, only a few 

 years ago, it was rarely to be found. In the earlier part of the rainy season its odd, monotonous 

 notes are to be heard in every direction. I am not sure that the male calls, but have shot the 

 female as I found by dissection when calling. It has a call of .a double series of notes : 

 ' whoot, whoot, whoot, ivhoot ;' then, after a pause of four or five seconds, ' kurook, kurook, kurook, 

 kurook.' The ' whoot ' is quite ventriloquistic, sounding as if it came from a distance of six or 

 seven yards from the bird. Before calling, it seats itself about five feet from the ground ; then 

 you see it draw its neck and body together, slightly puffing out its body-feathers, raising its back, 

 and depressing its tail, and for every ' whoot ' there is a violent throb of the body, as if the bird 

 was in great pain ; at the same time the motion of the throat is scarcely perceptible, and its bill 

 is closed. Then, as if greatly relieved, it stretches itself out, the feathers fall smooth, and with open 

 mouth and throbbing throat comes the 'kurook,' without the slightest attempt at ventriloquism. 

 When searching for the caller, one must take no notice of the ' whoot,' but wait for the ' kurook.' 



