THE BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. 381 



chou, and cuckoo, koo, koo, koo, koo, koo, and cuck-chou-ou, by no 

 means musical, but quite pleasing as an odd variety. In a 

 moment he glides by me. What a straightforward, regular, 

 noiseless and graceful flight! 



It is difficult to get a satisfactory view of this bird amidst 

 our thick summer foliage. He is so noiseless as he, " still 

 hiding, further onward wooes you;" and if he stand stock- 

 still, with head a little on one side, his color is so nearly like 

 that of the bark of the undergrowth, or is such a com- 

 promise between that and the foliage, as to render him ex- 

 ceedingly obscure. No doubt he is very happy in his way, 

 but he does indeed seem "as solitary and joyless as the most 

 veritable anchorite." 



I creep up to the bush in which he lit, and find a nest, if 

 indeed so slight and rude a structure be worthy of the 

 name — a few twigs laid criss-cross, bits of dried fern, and a 

 few downy catkins of the willow on top — ho^v does the bird 

 get off and on, and keep the eggs and young on this bit of 

 trash? The eggs, some 1.12X.83, are elliptical, and of a 

 beautiful clear or somewhat clouded light green. Arriving 

 after the middle of May, this bird seems to begin incubation 

 almost at once. The callow young are indeed queer-look- 

 ing objects; their skin, which is black as soot, is sparsely set 

 with white thread-like down. The eggs appear to be laid 

 sometimes at very considerable intervals, so that the same 

 nest may contain the young eggs partly incubated, and 

 others fresh. 



Nearly a foot in length, of which length the oblongly 

 rounded tail constitutes nearly one-half, the upper parts 

 are an elegant, glossy bronze-brown ; tail feathers, except the 

 two central, tipped with white, which joins the main color 

 in a black margin; bill and feet black, eye-lids vermilion, 

 under parts white. Male and female are alike. The young 



