PICARIAE-CUCULIDAE— GEOCOCCYX CALIFORNIANUS. 383 



Fam. CUCULIDAE: Cuckoos. 



GEOCOCCYX CALIFORNIANUS (Lesson). 



Chaparral Cock. 



Saurotkcra califomiana, Lesson, Corap. Buff., vi, 1829, 420. 



Geococcyx mexicanus, Woodii., Sitgreave's Exp. ZuQi & Col. Riv., 1854, 92. — Heerm., 

 P. R. K. Rep., x, pt iv, 1859, 59.— Bd., U. S. & Mex. Bound. Surv., ii, pt. ii, 

 1859, Birds, 5.— Id, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, 303 (Cape Saint 

 Lucas).— Kennerly, P. R. R. Rep., Whipple's Route, x, 1859, 21. — Xantus, 

 Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1859, 190 (Fort Tejon, Cal.) — CouES, Proc. 

 Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila,, 18GG, 51 (Fort Whipple, Ariz.).— Id., ib, 1SCS, 82— 

 Id, Am. Nat., vii, 1873, 324. — Yarrow & IIensiiaw, Rep. Orn. Specs., 

 1872, Wheeler's Exped., 1874, 24.— Henshaw, Rep. Orn. Specs., 1873, Wheel- 

 er's Exped., 1S74, 132.— Coues, Birds Northwest, 1874, 274. 



Geococcyx viaticus, Newb., P. R, R. Rep., vi, 1857, 91. 



This remarkable bird, though southern in its distribution, reaches to 

 the northward into the southern portion of Utah, where we obtained 

 evidence from the settlers of its occurrence ; and recently it has been found 

 by Mr. Aiken, as a resident of Colorado, as far up as El Paso County ; 

 several specimens from which locality he has examined. In New Mexico and 

 Arizona, it does not begin to be common until the southern part is reached, 

 though my inquiries from the settlers developed the fact of its presence, here 

 and there, in the upper portions of these Territories. 



In the Gila Valley and southward, it is of common occurrence; 

 though even here the nature of its habits, which lead it to inhabit the 

 wooded river bottoms, and the chaparral of the hillsides, as well as its shy 

 and suspicious disposition, renders it extremely liable to be overlooked. Its 

 food, so far as I have had opportunities of investigating its nature, con- 

 sists very largely of grasshoppers ; and of quite a number of individuals 

 the contents of whose stomachs I have examined all have contained more 

 or fewer of these insects, to which is added the usual variety of coleop- 

 terous insects and bugs found upon the ground or the low marshes. Liz- 

 ards, and probably also some of the smaller, harmless kinds of snakes, 

 suffer from the attacks of this bird ; but that the rattlesnake is ever thus 

 singled out and preyed upon I am scarcely prepared to believe, unless sup- 



