The Growth of Young Black - billed Cuckoos 



By A. A. SAUNDERS, New Haven. Conn. 



ON June 12, 1907, a friend informed me that he had found the nest of a 

 Black-billed Cuckoo. I visited it a few days later. The nest was in an 

 elder bush, on the bank of a stream, and about five feet from the ground. 

 It contained only two eggs, but, as they had already been there several days, 

 I decided that this was the whole set. I was rather surprised at this, as a nest 

 I had found the previous season had contained four eggs. A few days later I 

 found another Black-bill's nest, also with but two eggs. At both of these nests 

 I noticed that the bird often sat in a curious position, with her head thrown back 

 and her bill pointing almost vertically toward the sky. 



At my first visit to the first of these nests, on June 25, I found that the eggs 

 had hatched. The egg-shells had not been removed, but were in the bottom 

 of the nest, broken into small pieces. The young Cuckoos were very curious- 

 looking. Their skin was dull black and their bills and feet bluish black. In 



place of the patches of down 

 found on young passerine 

 birds, they were clothed with 

 coarse white hairs evenly dis- 

 tributed over the body. They 

 were evidently several days 

 old, as their eyes were already 

 beginning to open. They were 

 verv sleepv in their actions 

 and resented handling with a 

 curious, grunting sound. 



During the next few days I 

 visited them frequently. Their 

 eyes opened wider and the 

 white hairs grew longer, and 

 at the base of each one a closely sheathed feather appeared. Unlike most young 

 birds, they were very inactive during the morning, but became quite lively toward 

 •evening. At such times, when I approached, they stretched their necks to the 

 utmost, opening and shutting their beaks and making hissing and grunting 

 •sounds. At such times they exhibited another peculiar mark. The lining of the 

 mouth was bright red, and on the roof of it were one or two large, white spots. 



On the morning of June 30, one of them was greatly changed in appearance. 

 The feathers of the back and breast had broken through the sheaths and only 

 those of the head and throat still remained unbroken. The other bird still had 

 all the feathers sheathed. I placed them on a nearby limb and took their picture. 

 They were much easier to handle than most young birds, but were very stiff and 

 awkward in their poses. When the picture was taken, I put them back in the 



YOUNG BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO, 



JUNE 30, 7.30 a. m. 

 Photographed by A. A. Saunders 



(205; 



