COCCYZUS ERYTHROPHTHALMUS. 275 



butioii, the Black-billed Cuckoo being tbe more nortberly bird. Audu- 

 bon has lecoidcd botli species frooi Labrador, but in rather vague 

 terms, and does not appear to have actually taken any specimens; I 

 think it safe to infer that all tbe Cuckoos he may have seen there were 

 of this species. lu New England the Black-billed is the more common 

 of the two, and I think that there the Yellow-billed finds its ordinary 

 northern limit; in fact, it is extremely rare in many localities. This 

 relative distribution is susceptible of numerous illustrations. Thus, 

 Mr. Mcllwrath gives the Black-billed as a common summer resident at 

 Hamilton, Canada West, while of the Yellow-billed he says he never 

 saw but one specimen in Canada. Allen and Maynard's testimony for 

 Massachusetts, though necessarily less pointed, is to the same general 

 effect. In the Middle iStates, on the contrary, we find Dr. TurnbuU 

 giving the Yellow-billed as rather the more common of the two. At 

 Washington, D. C, the Yellow-billed is very abundant, especially in the 

 spring and fall, but also breeds plentifully; it arrives late in April, and 

 remains through September. There the Black-billed is much less 

 numerous, even when both are migrating, and breeds but sparingly. In 

 his Kansas list, Prof. Snow gives both species without remark, but 

 marks the Yellow-billed only, as breeding. The latter appears to breed 

 everywhere in its United States range, the former rarely south of the 

 Middle districts. 



The habits of the two species are very similar, and the birds are com- 

 monly confounded by unscientific observers. The notes of the Black- 

 billed are less harsh and not so often repeated. The nesting is much the 

 same; the eggs deeper green, smaller (1.10 by 0.80), and less elliptical. 



I found the Black-billed Cuckoo breeding in the Pembina Mountains, 

 forty miles west of the Bed Eiver. At date of July 12 the nest con- 

 tained a single young bird, just I'eady to fly; the others, if any, having 

 already, left. The nest, in this instance, was remarkable in position, 

 being placed in the crotch of an oak bush less than two feet from the 

 ground, in a dense thicket on a hill-side. .There was a large basement 

 of loosely-interlaced twigs, on which was placed a matted platform with 

 scarcely any depression, of dried leaves and poplar catkins. The young 

 one could not quite fly, but scrambled off as 1 approached, and I had 

 some little difficulty in catching it; during the capture, the old bird 

 came about within a few feet of me, and answered the cries of the 

 young with a curious guttural note. The young has the feathers of the 

 npper parts all edged with whitish, and a faint tawny-gray shade on the 

 breast; the bill and feet are pale-bluish ; the iris is brown. 



COCCYZUS AMEEICANufe, (Linn.) Bp. T*^^ 



Tellow-bilSed Cactoo. 



Cnculus dominiccnsis, Bribs., Orn. iv, 110, pi. 9. 



Cuculus dominicus, Linn., Syst. Nat. i, 1766, 170.— Gm., i, 416.— Lath., Ind. Orn. i 221.— 



(Not Coccygus domimcns of Nutt., or of Bp., Consp., or of SCL., Cat.) ' 

 Coccygus dominicus, Bd., Pr. PUila. Acad. 1863, 154. 

 Pimja dominica, Gray, Genera of Birds, ii, 457. 

 Cnculus carolineitsis, Briss.. Orn. iv, 112 fCoucou de la Caroline, P. E. 8161.— WiLS. Am 



Orn. iv, 1811, 13, pi. 28, f. 1. > j , 



Erijthroj)hri/s carolinensis, Sw., Classif. Birds, ii, 1837, 322. 

 Cucwlus americavus, Linn., S.yst. Nat. i, 1766, 170.— Gm., i, 416.— Lath., Ind. Om. i, 1790, 



219.— Steph., Shaw's Gen. Zool. ix, 93.— Schl., Eev. Crit. Ois. Eur. 1844. 51.— 



Hart., Man. Br. Birds, 1872, 124 (Great Britain). 

 Cocmjzus amaicanus, Bp., Obs. Wils. 1825, No. 47; Consp. i, 1850, 111.— Nutt., Man. i, 



1832, 551.— AUD., Orn. Biog. i, 1832, 18; v, 1839, 520; pi. 2; Syu. 1839, 187; B. 



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