32 LLOYD'S NATURAL HISTORY. 



of the young birds were sufficiently advanced to scramble out 

 of the nest, and the other three were of different ages, one being 

 just hatched, another several days old, and the third still further 

 advanced, covered with " pen "-feathers, so that it would have 

 been able to fly in about a week. His friend Mr. Rhett, in 

 whose garden this nest was found, assured him that he had 

 known as many as eleven young Cuckoos to be reared in a 

 nest in the course of one season. The late Dr. Brewer says 

 that the breeding-season lasts from one to four months, so that 

 it will be seen that the nesting-habits of the American Cuckoo 

 differ strikingly from those of their European cousins. 



Nest, In the construction of this, little art is displayed. It 

 is made of a few sticks and twigs without any perceptible con- 

 cavity, and has a few green weeds and apple-blossoms inter- 

 mixed. 



Eggs. Uniform light bluish-green, which rapidly fades, even 

 in a cabinet, according to Dr. Brewer. Axis, 1*2-1 '3 inch; 

 diam., 0-9-1-0. 



II. THE BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. COCCYZUS 

 ERYTHROPHTHALMUS. . 



Cuculus erythropthalma, Wilson, Am. Orn. iv. p. 16 (1811). 

 Coccyzus erythrophthalmuS) Dresser, B. Eur. v. p. 231, pi. 301, 

 fig. i (1876); B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 85 (1883); Saun- 

 ders, Man. p. 280 (1889); Shelley, Cat. B. xix. p. 311 

 (1891). 



Adult Male. Similar to C. americanus, but distinguished by 

 the narrow white tips to the tail feathers, which have a black 

 sub-terminal band. There is no chestnut lining to the quills, 

 which have only a little rufous-buff colour at the base ; bill 

 black, with sometimes a little yellow at the base of the lower 

 mandible ; feet leaden-grey ; iris dark brown. Total length, 1 1 

 inches; culmen, 0-9; wing, 6"o; tail, 6-5 ; tarsus, 0-95. 



Adult Female. Similar to the male. Total length, io'8 inches ; 

 wing, 4-8. 



Range in Great Britain. Has occurred once near Belfast, in 

 September, 1871. Another example has been obtained near 

 Lucca in Italy, in i&jS. 



