50 THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 



black-billed is more compact. It is very flat and is built 

 in the early part of May in a low tree or bush, from five 

 to ten feet from the ground. The eggs are from three to 

 four in number, of a pale greenish blue, in the black- 

 billed the greenish hue being deeper. The eggs are about 

 one and a fourth by nine-tenths of an inch in size, those 

 of the black-billed being a trifle smaller, or about one and 

 one-tenth by four-fifths of an inch. 



The birds arrive in New Jersey from the West Indies 

 and Mexico about the middle of April and remain until 

 September. They are distributed throughout the eastern 

 and middle portions of the United States. 



Their cry is kuk-kuk-kuk, harsh and grating; their song 

 is composed of tut-tut-tut, cluck-cluck-cluck, kowe-kowe- 

 kowe. The first notes are repeated rapidly at first, 

 getting gradually slower, and the last somewhat drawn 

 out. 



The food of the Cuckoo consists principally of caterpil- 

 lars, the bird evincing a particular liking for those that 

 infest apple-trees ; fifty or sixty are found at a time in its 

 stomach and the interior of the latter presents the appear- 

 ance of a felt hat from the deposit of the hairs of the 

 caterpillars. It also at times feeds on the larvae of insects 

 and a few berries. The black-billed confines itself almost 

 exclusively to smaU shell- fish, snails and larvae such as 

 are found near or in streams, and is consequently not so 

 valuable a bird. 



Curletv, or Jack Curlew. — Length, seventeen inches; 

 extent, thirty-two inches ; bill, three and three-fourths 

 inches. The upper parts are a dull brown mottled 

 with buff, the belly being whitish or a light buff, 

 streaked with dusky on neck and breast, tail barred with 

 dusky. Their breeding location is in the far north ; the 

 number of eggs is three or four, of a pale brown color and 

 two and a quarter by one and a half inches in size. The 

 birds are common along the coast of New Jersey in May 



