54 British Birds, with their Nests and Eggs. 



Family— CUCULID^E. 



The American Black-Billed Cuckoo. 



Coccyzus erythropthabnus., Linn. 



A 



SINGLE example was shot near Belfast in 1871. The same observation is 

 applicable to this species as to the preceding one.* 



* On several occasions during the progress of the present work, I have been called to account for not 

 illustrating and describing these so-called " Rare British Birds," the strongest argument brought forward being 

 that should an^'one perchance shoot one of them, he would be unable to name it by reference to our plates. 

 This appears to me to be a verj' feeble excuse for the expenditure of much monej- and labour. It is possible 

 that many (if not all) which I have passed over may have escaped from captivitj- ; and, in any case, if a man 

 shot a bird and tried to identify it bj- comparison with our plates, he would not be daunted by his failure to 

 do so, but would forward it to the Natural Historv- Museum or to some well-known Ornithologist. — A.G.B. 



