1106 A Monogrnph of the Indian and [No. 131. 



data, that much more than the usual period intervened between the 

 successive deposition of the eggs of the European Cuckoo, and that 

 this was the reason it did not incubate its own, when the idea receiv- 

 ed confirmation, while the inference based upon it fell to the ground, 

 on learning the remarkable circumstances connected with the propa- 

 gation of the nearly allied Piayas (Cureus, Boie, Erythropkrys, 

 Swainson,) of North America, wherein it has now been ascertained 

 that the eggs are, for the most part, incubated by the parents, though 

 so long a time elapses between the successive laying of them, that a 

 newly laid egg, a hard-set one, a callow nestling, and another ready 

 to fly, may be found together in the same nest, while other more ad- 

 vanced young ones still keep to the neighbouring branches. The whole 

 account is, indeed, so strange and surprising, that I shall follow Mr. 

 Yarrell in quoting the details from Mr. Audubon's fifth volume. 



" Whilst at Charlestown in South Carolina," narrates Mr. Audubon, 

 " in the early part of June, 1837, I was invited by J. S. Rhett, Esq., 

 residing in the suburbs of that city, to visit his grounds for the pur- 

 pose of viewing the nest of the yellow-billed Cuckoo \_Cur. Ameri- 

 canus~\. This I did in company with my friend Dr. S. Wilson, and 

 we found ourselves highly gratified, as we were enabled to make the 

 following observations : — 



" A nest, which was placed near the centre of a tree of moderate size, 

 was reached by a son of the gentleman on whose ground we were. One 

 of the old birds, which was sitting upon it, left its situation only when 

 within a few inches of the climber's hand, and silently glided off to 

 another tree close by. Two young Cuckoos, nearly ready to fly, scram- 

 bled off from their tenement among the branches of the tree, and were 

 caught by us after a while. The nest was taken, and carefully handed 

 to me. It still contained three young Cuckoos, all of different sizes, 

 the smallest apparently just hatched, the next in size probably several 

 days old, while the largest, covered with pen-feathers, would have 

 been able to leave the nest in about a week. There were also in 

 the nest two eggs, one containing a chick, the other fresh or lately 

 laid. The two young birds which escaped from the nest, clung so 

 firmly to the branches by their feet, that our attempts to dislodge them 

 were of no avail, and we were obliged to reach them with the hand. 

 On now looking at all these young birds, our surprise was indeed 



