THE PHEASANT CUCKOO. 



the name of Tom Fool. Indeed, the first 

 Rain-Bird which he saw lost its life by a 

 stone, while sitting on a bush only a few 

 feet distant, so occupied with the two 

 featherless bipeds that were approaching, 

 that it suffered itself to be struck from its 

 perch by a missile that might have been 

 avoided with the least precaution. 



The wings of this bird are rather short 

 and weak, so that it does not fly to any 

 great distance when alarmed, but merely 

 flits to a branch a few yards in advance, 

 and then turns round and contemplates 

 the intruder. It has a curious habit of 

 sitting across a branch with its head 

 lower than its feet, and balanced by the 

 long tail, which hangs nearly perpendicu 

 larly. The voice is a harsh cackle, some- 

 thing like the words " ticky-ticky," pro- 

 nounced with very great rapidity. It 

 feeds on animal substances, preferring 

 insects and spiders to any other kind of 

 food, but not disdaining to prey upon the 

 smaller reptiles and mammalia. The nest 

 seems to be made in the fork of a branch. 

 The colour of this bird is soft brown-grey 

 upon the back, dullish yellow on the 

 under parts of the body, and rusty red 

 upon the wings. The long tail is beauti- 

 fully barred with black and white. 



OF the Coccyginse, or Lark-heeled 

 Cuckoos, so called from their long hind 

 toe, we shall select two examples; the 

 one being an Australasian bird, and the 

 other an inhabitant of America. 



The PHEASANT CUCKOO derives its 

 popular appropriate name from the great 

 length of its tail, which gives to the bird 

 an outline bearing some resemblance to 

 that of the pheasant, a similitude which 

 is further carried out by the bold mark- 

 ings of its plumage. This handsome bird 

 is a native of New South Wales, where it 

 is not uncommon, although rather a local 

 bird, seldom wandering to any great dis- 

 tance from the spot which it loves. It 

 frequents low-lying and swampy lands ; 

 living almost entirely among the rank 

 herbage of such localities, and keeping it- 

 self concealed among the brushes. When 

 alarmed it flies to the nearest tree, alights 

 on the lowest branches, rapidly makes its 

 way through the boughs to the very sum 

 mit, and then takes to wing. 



The nest of this bird is placed on the 



$rt.i 



PHEASANT CUCKOO. Centropits fhatidnus. 



