MANGROVE CUCKOO. 437 



put together, but still little more than a concave flooring, and 

 lined with moss occasionally, and withered catkins of the hick- 

 ory. The female sits very close on the nest, admitting a near 

 approach before flying; the young, before acquiring their 

 feathers, are of a uniform bright grayish blue ; at a little dis- 

 tance from the nest the male keeps up the usual rattling call 

 of kow kow kow kow, the note increasing in loudness and 

 quickness ; sometimes the call seems like kK kh' M' kh' 'kh 

 'kah, the notes growing louder, and running together like those 

 of the Yellow- winged Woodpecker. This species has also, 

 before rain, a peculiar call, in a raucous, guttural voice, like 

 orrattbtoo or worrattdtoo. It is less timorous than the Yellow- 

 billed kind ; and near the nest with young, I have observed 

 the parent composedly sit and plume itself for a considerable 

 time without showing any alarm at my presence. It is equally 

 addicted to the practice of sucking the eggs of other birds. 

 Indeed, one that I saw last summer, kept up for hours a con- 

 stant watch after the eggs of a Robin sitting in an apple-tree, 

 which, with her mate, kept up at intervals a running fight with 

 the Cuckoo for two days in succession. 



This species is considered less abundant than the Yellow-billed, 

 but it has much the same general distribution ; it goes, however, 

 farther north, having been taken in Newfoundland and Labrador, 

 and is common in Manitoba, where the Yellow-billed is not found. 

 The Black-billed is rather common in New Brunswick and Nova 

 Scotia and throughout New England. 



MANGROVE CUCKOO. 



COCCYZUS MINOR. 



Char. Above, olive ; head, ashy; below, buff with tawny tinge, paler 

 towards the chi . ; middle tail-feather olive, rest black, broadly tipped 

 with white. Length 12 inches. 



Nest. In a low tree or bush ; loosely made of twigs; 



^SS^- 3-4; pale green or bluish green; 1.25 X 0.90. 



The Mangrove Cuckoo is especially a West Indian bird, but is 

 a resident also of the Florida Keys, though not common there. 

 A few examples have, been met with in Louisiana. 



