CHAPTER XIX 



THE ORDER OF CUCKOOS AND KINGFISHERS 



COCCYGES 



This Order (pronounced Coc'-si-jez) represents 

 an effort to find a place for three familiar Fami- 

 lies of birds whose members have something in 

 common, yet in their most noticeable features 

 are widely different. Both in their structure, 

 habits and mode of life, the kingfisher and 

 cuckoo are 'widely different from each other; 

 and if there is one really good reason why these 

 birds should be placed in the same Order, the 

 writer would be pleased to have it pointed out. 

 Their feet are totally different, and so are their 

 beaks, their tails and their plumage. Any future 

 revision of the classification of birds should 

 strike this Order, early and hard. 



THE CUCKOO FAMILY. 



Cuculidae. 



The Yellow-Billed Cuckoo, 1 or Rain- 

 "Crow," will fitly represent the Cuckoo Family. 

 It looks like an insect-eating perching-bird, and 



YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 



in reality it is one! You can easily recognize it 

 by its extreme length and slenderness, the fan- 

 like shape of its tail when spread, its upper sur- 

 face of glossy drab — or gray-brown — and its white 

 1 Coc-cy'zus americanus. Length, about 12 inches. 



under surface from throat to tail. To carry out 

 this color-scheme to its logical sequence, the 

 upper mandible is dusky brown, and the lower 

 one is yellow. 



This bird derives one of its common names — 

 Rain-" Crow" — from the fact that its peculiar 

 cry is heard oftenest on still and cloudy summer 

 days, — two conditions which to the weather- 

 wise farmer always portend rain. Its cry is a 

 weird, gurgling note which sounds like "Cowk- 

 cowk-cowk-cowk!" and usually it comes from 

 the heart of a thick bush or tree which effectually 

 screens the bird. It seems to be fully aware of 

 the dangers which beset all birds which attempt 

 to live in the open with civilized man, for it lives 

 amid the forest shadows. 



This bird, and also its twin species, the Black- 

 Billed Cuckoo, lives almost wholly upon in- 

 sects. Of one hundred and fifty-five Cuckoo stom- 

 achs examined by the Department of Agriculture, 

 only one contained any vegetable food — two 

 small berries. Nearly half the Cuckoo's food 

 proved to be caterpillars, 2,771 of which were 

 found in 129 stomachs. It was not uncommon 

 for one bird to contain more than 100 of them. 

 "During May and June, when tent-caterpillars 

 are defoliating the fruit-trees, these insects con- 

 stitute half of the Cuckoo's food." 



The stomachs examined contained remains 

 of sixty-five species of insects, in the following 

 percentages: beetles, 6; bugs, 61-; grasshoppers, 

 30 ; caterpillars, 48* ; other insects, such as web- 

 worms, tussock-moths, army-worms, and moth 

 larvae, 9. 



From the results of this investigation it is clear 

 that our two species of Cuckoo are to be numbered 

 with the farmers' best friends among birds. As 

 an estimate, I should say that each of these birds 

 that enters a section devoted to farming and 

 fruit-growing is worth to that section about $10 

 per season. The charge that Cuckoos devour 



214 



