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YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 



CoccYzus Americanus, Bonap. 



PLATE II. Vol. I. p. 18. 



Whilst at Charleston in South Carolina, in the early part of June 

 1837, I was invited by James Smith Rhett, Esq., residing in the sub- 

 urbs of that city, to visit his grounds for the purpose of viewing the 

 nest of this bird. This I did in company with my friend Dr Samdel 

 Wilson, and we found ourselves highly gratified, as we were enabled 

 to make the following observations : — 



A nest, which was placed near the centre of a tree of moderate 

 size, was reached by a son of the gentleman on whose ground we were. 

 One of the old birds, which was sitting upon it, left its situation only 

 when within a few inches of the climber's hand, and silently glided off 

 to another tree close by. Two yoimg cuckoos nearly able to fly 

 scrambled off from their tenement among the branches of the tree, and 

 were caught by us after a while. The nest was taken, and carefully 

 handed to me. It still contained three yoimg Cuckoos, all of different 

 sizes, the smallest apparently just hatched, the next in size probably 

 several days old, while the largest, covered with pin-feathers, would have 

 been able to leave the nest in about a week. There were also in the 

 nest two eggs, one containing a chick, the other fresh or lately laid. 

 The two young birds which escaped from the nest, clung so firmly to 

 the branches by their feet, that our attempts to dislodge them were of 

 no avail, and we were obliged to reach them with the hand. On now 

 looking at all these young birds, our sm-prise was indeed great, as no 

 two of them were of the same size, which clearly shewed that they had 

 been hatched at different periods, and I should suppose the largest to 

 have been fully three weeks older than any of the rest. Mr Rhett as- 

 sured us that he had observed the same in another nest placed in a tree 

 within a few paces of his house, and which he also shewed to us. He 

 stated that eleven young Cuckoos had been successively hatched and 

 reared in it, by the same pair of old birds, in one season, and that yoimg 

 birds and eggs were to be seen in it at the same time for many weeks 

 in succession. 



