34* CUCULIDiE. 



time and affection upon such a disproportionately large and 

 unsightly thing as a young Cuckoo : we have watched them, 

 however, and have ascertained the facts, even with a mature 

 yellow bunting and a young Cuckoo in a cage, as described 

 by us at page 50, vol. iii. of this work. 



The Cuckoo measures, from the tip of its beak to the extre- 

 mity of the tail, thirteen inches and a half; the wing, from the 

 carpus to the tip, measures eight inches and three-quarters ; the 

 tail, six inches and three-quarters ; the beak, ten lines ; and 

 the tarsi, ten lines and a half. The iris, corners of the mouth, 

 and legs are full yellow or pale orange ; the eye-lids are of 

 remarkable beauty, being so transparent, that, when closed, 

 the colours of the pupil and iris can be distinctly seen. The 

 head and all the upper parts are blueish-ash coloured ; 

 the throat and forepart of the neck and breast, the same. 

 The quills and tail are dusky ; the inner webs of the 

 quill-feathers are beautifully barred with oblong pure 

 white spots, from the root of the feathers to within an 

 inch and a half of their tips. The rump is blueish-ash 

 coloured, which colour also extends over part of the outer 

 edges of the webs of the middle tail-feathers. The tail- 

 feathers are spotted with white along their shafts, and the 

 tips of them are all white. The under parts are all white, 

 barred transversely with dusky. The under tail-coverts are 

 tinged with yellowish rust-colour. The bill is dusky yellow 

 at the base, the inside is orange. The young bird is brown 

 all over, the upper parts barred with red, brown, and white ; 

 the under part sare dirty white barred with black ; the quill- 

 feathers are spotted with red brown, and the tail the same. 

 The iris of the young bird is dusky. 



The egg figured 141 is that of the Cuckoo. 



