﻿294 Canadian Record of Science. 



THE CUCKOOS. 

 [Coccyzus americanus and C. erythrophthalmus.) 



Two species of cuckoos, the yellow-billed and the black- 

 billed, are common in the United States east of the 

 Plains, and a subspecies of the yellow-billed extends 

 westward to the Pacific. While the two species are quite 

 distinct, they do not differ greatly in food habits, and 

 their economic status is practically the same. 



An examination of 37 stomachs has shown that these 

 cuckoos are much given to eating caterpillars, and, unlike 

 most birds, do not reject those covered with hair. In 

 fact, cuckoos eat so many hairy caterpillars that the hairs 

 pierce the inner lining of the stomach and remain there, 

 so that when the stomach is opened and turned inside out, 

 it appears to be lined with a thin coating of fur. 



An examination of the stomachs of 16 black-billed 

 cuckoos, taken during the summer months, showed the 

 remains of 328 caterpillars, 11 beetles, 15 grasshoppers, 

 63 sawflies, 3 stink bugs, and 4 spiders. In all probability 

 more individuals than these were represented, but their 

 remains were too badly broken for recognition. Most of 

 the caterpillars were hairy, and many of them belonged to 

 a genus that lives in colonies and feeds on the leaves 

 of trees, including the apple tree. One stomach was filled 

 with larvae of a caterpillar belonging to the same genus as 

 the tent caterpillar, and possibly to that species. Other 

 larv« were those of large moths, for which the bird seems 

 to have a special fondness. The beetles were for the most 

 part click beetles and weevils, with a few May beetles and 

 some others. The sawflies were all found in two stomachs, 

 one of which contained no less than 60 in the larval stage. 



Of the yellow-billed cuckoo, 21 stomachs (collected 

 from May to October, inclusive) were examined. The 

 contents consisted of 355 caterpillars, 18 beetles, 23 

 grasshoppers, 31 sawflies, 14 bugs, 6 flies, and 12 spiders. 



