BLACK-BILLED COCKOO. 523 



is a great quantity of hairs, some of them adhering to, or thrust into 

 the inner coat, which is soft, destitute of rugae, and of a bright red co- 

 lour. The proventricular glands are large, cylindrical, 1^ twelfth in 

 length and about ^ twelfth in breadth, forming a belt about 9 twelfths 

 in breadth. The pylorus is extremely small, with a thickened margin. 

 The intestine, efffhj, is 14| inches long, 3^ twelfths in width, diminish- 

 ing to 2i twelfths. The coeca, i i, 1 inch 8 twelfths long, 3^ twelfths in 

 width^for 1 inch 5 twelfths, its extremity obtuse. Cloaca /, oblong, 

 about 4i twelfths in width. 



Trachea 2| inches long, narrow, roundish, flattened toward the 

 lower part, of 60 rings, with five dimidiate rings. The lateral mus- 

 cles extremely slender, as are the sterno-tracheal. There is one pair 

 only of very slender inferior laryngeal muscles. Bronchi of about 12 

 half rings. 



BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. 



COCCYZUS ERYTHROPHTHALMUS, BoNAP. 

 PLATE XXXII. Vol. I. p. 170. 



The observations respecting the curious manners of our Yellow- 

 billed Cuckoo, the subject of the last article, might be repeated here, 

 for the present species is similar in this respect, as has been ascertained 

 by Dr T. M. Brewer of Boston. Its eggs are not only smaller than those 

 of the other species, but also rounder, and of a much deeper tint of 

 green ; they measure one inch and half an eighth in length, and seven- 

 eighths in breadth. 



The Black-billed Cuckoo is rare in all the Southern States, my 

 friend Dr Bachman never having seen it in the maritime districts of 

 South Carolina, nor myself in any part of Georgia, although Wilson, 

 who first distinguished this species, says that Mr Abbot of Georgia 

 found it there, and was well aware of its being distinct from the yellow- 

 billed species. I met with it in Texas, arriving from the south ; and 

 found some individuals in winter, in the central parts of the southern 

 districts of Florida. On the other hand, it is not uncommon in Nova 



