COCCYZUX 475 



< ad. (Texas). Upper parts metallic olivaceous brown, the two outer 

 quills cinnamon-red nearly to the tip, paler on the inner web ; middle 

 tail-feathers like the back, the rest tipped with, and the outermost on the 

 outer web, white : under parts white, sides of neck faintly tinged with ash ; 

 upper mandible bluish horn, at the base yellow ; lower mandible yellow 

 tipped with horn-blue ; legs light plumbeous ; iris dark brown. Culmen 

 0'95, wing 5'9, tail 6 '2, tarsus 1'05 inch. Sexes alike. The young bird 

 has less white on the tail, and less rufous on the wings. 



Hob. North America from Canada to Brazil ; West Indies ; 

 has occurred in Europe as a rare straggler, at least ten times in 

 England, Wales, and Ireland, once in Belgium, and once in Italy. 



Inhabits well wooded localities, especially those bordering the 

 rivers, and though not very shy is wary and secretive in its 

 general habits. Its note is a somewhat monotonous though 

 not unpleasing koo, Jcoo, koo, koo, or hd-w, k6w, kow, kdw, and it is 

 said to be most clamorous at the approach of rain. Its food 

 consists chiefly of insects, but it is said to take and eat the eggs 

 of other birds. Unlike C. canorus it is not parasitic, but builds 

 a slight nest of twigs and grass not unlike that of a Dove, 

 which it places on the branch of a tree, and late in April or in 

 May deposits 4, seldom 5 eggs, elliptical in form, in colour 

 delicate light blue slightly tinged with green, occasionally 

 clouded with white, in size averaging about T22 by 0'93. 



The eggs of this bird are said to have been found in the 

 nests of other species, but in such cases it would seem that 

 the Cuckoo intended to usurp the nest of the other bird, and not 

 to entrust her eggs to a foster-parent. The eggs are frequently 

 deposited at intervals of several days, so that when the young 

 are all hatched one may be nearly ready to leave the nest, and 

 the youngest only hatched a few days or a week previously. 



678. BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. 

 COCCYZUS ERYTHROPHTHALMUS. 



Coccysus erythrophtlialmus (Wilson), Am. Orn. iv. p. 16, pi. 28, fig. 2 

 (1811) ; Audubon, B. Am. iv. p. 300, pi. 276 ; Dresser, v. p. 231, 

 pi. 301, fig. 1; Shelley, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xix. p. 311 ; Saunders, 

 p. 290. 



$ ad. (N. America). Upper parts and tail metallic olivaceous, fore- 

 head tinged with ashy grey ; wings with a faint coppery tinge, the inner 

 webs of the primaries faintly tinged with cinnamon ; middle tail-feathers 

 with a subterminal dark brown mark and slightly tipped with white ; 

 under parts white, the throat tinged with yellowish buff, the sides of the 

 neck, and the breast tinged with grey ; under surface of the tail hoary 



