CUCKOOS, ANIS, ETC. 



(384) Crotophaga sulcirostris 



Swainson 



(Gr., bug-eating: Lat., groove, beak). 



GROOVE-BILLED ANI. Bill 

 deep and with a thin ridge on cul- 

 mcn. Tail long and broad. Plum- 

 age black, with metallic blue or green 

 edging of the feathers. L., 14.50; 

 W., 5-75; T-, 7-7S; Tar., 1.50. 



Range. — Southern Te.x. southward. 

 ANI (Crotophaga ani), abundant in 

 Cuba, is casual in Fla. 



(385) Qeococcyx californianus 



{Lc^s.) {Gr,, ground cuckoo). 



ROAD-RUNNER; CHAPARRAL 

 COCK; SNAKE-KILLER. A re- 

 markable, long, broad-tailed species 

 with plumage as shown. L., 23.00; 

 W., 6.7s; T., 11.75. 



Range — Kan., Nev., and Cal. 

 southward. 



On the wing, they are very swift, their flight being similar 

 to that of pigeons; they are so dexterous that, without 

 halting their speed, flocks of them will dash through the 

 densest of woods. As usual with parrots, they are very 

 noisy and their voices are harsh and unpleasant. Now 

 regarded as very rare, it can be but a few more years before 

 the last living one will have been seen. 



Order COCCYGES. Cuckoos, etc. 



ANIS are slender, long-tailed, "Roman-nosed" black 

 birds abounding in Mexico and the West Indies, but only of 

 local occurrence along our southern border. They are re- 

 garded as very useful birds and are always present near 

 settlements, where they feed about browsing cattle, picking 

 up insects that are exposed or frightened into taking wing; 

 often they will alight on the backs of the animals and pick 

 off parasites that are very numerous and injurious in the 

 tropics. 



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