216 BIRDS 



in the South, in colonies, in cypress trees, the nest being a 

 mere bunch of sticks placed at the forks of horizontal limbs, 

 and containing, as is supposed, up to four or five white eggs. 

 (Adapted from Dawson's "Birds of Ohio.") 



It is claimed on good authority that these birds hiber- 

 nated in northern latitudes. 



ROAD-RUNNER 



This is the Chaparral Cock of Texas, New Mexico, 

 Colorado, and California. The Mexican knows him as the 

 paisano, or snake-killer. At first glance their appearance 

 is suggestive of a large cuckoo. I noticed Road-runners 

 quite frequently through Texas. Entering the driveway 

 ahead of the horses, these fleet-footed birds easily outdis- 

 tanced the average traveler. 



Their food consists largely of lizards, swifts, and other 

 small reptiles. The nests are often placed in cactus plants. 

 I found one March 8, 1909, at Camp Verdi, Texas. The 

 nest was similar in construction to the cuckoo's, but much 

 larger. Twigs, stems, and grass entered into the composi- 

 tion, but on the whole it was a very shallow affair, placed 

 four and one-half feet up in a cedar tree by the roadside. 



YEIXOW-BILLED CUCKOO 



The Yellow-billed Cuckoo ranges generally throughout 

 North America, wintering in Central and South America. 



The yellow-billed, like the black-billed cuckoo with the 

 same range, is highly beneficial to the interests of agricul- 



