211 



AVES. 



Ut v;i 



. lOL— Sten 



of Cuckoo. 



took fllgbt]. Herissant attributed tlie pliennmenoo to the position of the gizzard, which in fact i:s 

 placed further backward in the abdouicii, and is less pruk-dcd by the sternum (fig. 101) than that of 

 otlicr Itirds [in ircncnil, but not of tlie Moth-liunters;, w liich the Cuckoos closely reseuil.Je in their 

 internal anatomy, and ]iarticul;Lrly in the shigiihulv diuiiniiti\e size of the brain: tlie yonng arc 

 exceedingly slow in learning (<j take their nwn food, and are fed by their foster parents tdl they ha\e 

 ncaily attained the full growth of their fcntbrrs. 



m.s species, all iiecnliiir to the eastern hemisphere,] there is one 



"I"*, 



Tlie Coimnon Cuckoo (C. cmiorns, Lin.) — Of an a^h-p:rey colour, the 



belly whitisli, rayed with dnsky Ijlack across, and tail-feathers laterally 



spotted with white: the young barred all over with rufous. [It feeds 



principnlly on caterpillars, and is sometimes seen to hawk for insects on 



.) d'_'\oui-s (.lierries and the smaller fruits. Is well known 



for its \-v\\ w lil'.h is cunjnion tu l.)Oth sexes, and is sometimes uttered on 



the wiin;-; as is also another particularly melodious sound, which it 



generally emits as it takes thght ; it often confrregates many tog;ether on 



the same tree, attracted by each others' notes ; but never flies in society, 



except when miijrating. It does not pair; is particularly shy and re- 



tirins; in disposition, and is often butfeted by the small birds on whose 



domain it encroaches.] 



Africa [and the islands of tlie Indian Ocean] produce several small spe- 

 cies, the plumage of which is nuu-e or less g:ilded, [or brilliant emerald- 

 green, briinzed, oi" purjile}. Tlii'ir beak is rather more depressed than 

 in the i)receding:, [and they compose the Chalcifcs, Swainson, which, 

 however, are scarcely separable either from structure or habit]. 



A cre-sted, spotted species is occasionally found in southern Europe, 

 the cry of which is more sonorous (C. glandarius, Edwards). [Tliis, with 

 various otliers from Africa, pertnins to the distinct group Oj i/loplnis of Swainson, which, with the following", has 

 lon-^er and naked tarsi.] 



(.)thers inhabit America [;itl of which build nests and rear their otTsprJng, constitutini^ the Kri/ihropf/ri/s-, Swain- 

 son : these are well known to feed much on the eg'gs of other birds, which it is g-enerally believed the true Cuckoos 

 do also : some of them descend much on the ground, and prey on snails like a Thrush, in addition to berries and 

 caterpillars. The young- resemble the adults]. 

 Others again, with generally spotted plumage, have the beak deep vertically. 



The Couas (Cocci/zu^, Vicillot^ — 

 Merely differ from the Cuckoos by their elevated tarci. They nestle in the holes of trees, and do not 

 entrust their eggs to the charge of strangers; tliis is at least true, "v^ith respect to tliuse species of 

 which the propagation is knciwn. 



There is one in America that requires to be distinguished, — 



TriE Lizard-seeker {SfmrofJiera, Vicillot), — 

 "Which has a long l.ioak, curvi'd at the ti[i only, [and tcet ad;iptcd for running swiftl} on the ground, as 

 is the case with the Ann.'riran Cuckoo tribe generally]. 

 It is the Ciii-iiJus n:hihi of TL'mniinck. 



Le Vaillaiit. has already separated, with good reason, 



The Coucals {Centropn^^, Illiger"). — 

 Birds of Africa and India, the thumb-nail of which is long and pointed as in the Larks, [;ind the 

 [ilnmage in general singulaily rigid atul spinous]. All the knuwn species arc natives of the easteni 

 hemisphere, and nestle in the boles of trees, [producing white eggs. They feed ebietly on Grasshop- 

 l»ers, ami run a'lout with celerity among reeds and other herbage, from which they arc slow to take 

 wing: their llrsb is jiarl irularly rank ; ami the eyelids are tVinged with lashes, as in inosu of the 

 Cuckoo tribe which rear their own offspring. 

 The species are very numerous, and grade into the true Couas and ilalkohasj. 



The same naturalist has riglitly separated 



Tr-JE CoURnl.s ( Lr//fof;rnifUS, A^ieillDt), — 



ILxdagascar birds, the beak of which is thick, pointed, ^traiglit, and compressed, with ihe tip of the 



