364 THE YELIvOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 



for the battle of life. At this season the birds hunt and wait upon their young 

 principally at night, in order not tO' attract hostile attention to them by day- 

 light visits. Only one brood is raised in a season, and since fishing is unques- 

 tionably a fine art, the youngsters require constant supervision, and instruction 

 for several months. A troop of six or eight birds seen in August or early 

 in September does not mean that Kingfisher is indulging in mid-summer gaities 

 with his fellows, but only that the family group of that season has not yet been 

 broken up. 



No. 159. 



YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 



A. O. U. No. 387. CoccyzHs americanus (Linn.). 



Synonym. — Rain-Crow. 



Description. — Adult : Above nearly uniform, satiny, brownish gray, with 

 something of a bronzy-green sheen; the inner webs of the primaries cinnamon- 

 rufous, the outer webs and sometimes the wing coverts tinged with the same; 

 central pair of tail-feathers like the back and completely covering the others during 

 repose; remaining pairs sharply graduated, — blackish with broad terminal white 

 spaces, the outer pair white-edged ; a bare space around the eye yellow ; under parts 

 uniform silky white or sordid; bill curved, upper mandible black, except touched 

 with yellow on sides ; lower mandible yellow, with black tip. Immature : Similar 

 to adult, but plumage of back with sHght admixture of cinnamon-rufous or vina- 

 ceous; tail-feathers narrower, — the contrast between their black and white areas 

 less abrupt. Length 11.20-12.60 (284.5-320.); wing 5.60 (142.2); tail 6.00 

 (1.52.4); bill i.oo (25.4). 



Recognition Marks. — Robin to Kingfisher size ; slim form and lithe appear- 

 ance ; brown above, white below. Distinguishable from the next species by definite 

 yellow lower mandible, more or less extensive cinnamon-rufous of wing, and 

 sharply-graduated, broadly white-tipped tail feathers. 



Nest, a careless structure of twigs, bark-strips, and catkins, placed in trees 

 or bushes, usually at moderate heights. Eggs, 4, sometimes 5, 6, or even 8, pale 

 greenish blue, becoming lighter on continued exposure. Av. size, 1.27 x 91 

 (32.3x23.1). 



General Range. — Eastern temperate North America, breeding from Florida 

 north to New Brunswick, Canada and Minnesota, west to the eastern border of the 

 plains, and south in winter to Costa Rica and the West Indies. 



Range in Ohio. — Abundant summer resident. Less common northerly. 



MOST birds prefer to face the enemy, so to keep his every movement 

 well in eye, but Cuckoo presents his back, a cold gray afifair, from behind 

 which he peers now and then, turning his neck and giving you one eye in a 

 lofty, well-bred way. I recall no other bird whose gaze is so calm, so direct, 



