OF ORNITHOLOGY 7& 



and broad but with feathers small and slender. The typical 

 bird will supply many features at a glance that can be de- 

 pended on for all the members of the family wherever they 

 are to be met. The American sub-family is sufficiently char- 

 acterized by the above family definition. 



Genus Ceryle, (2 possibly 3 species). 

 Synonym Alcedo. 



FAMILY XXV CUCULIDAE THE CUCKOOS 



Latin cuculus, " a cuckoo." 



The Cuckoos form another of those anomalous groups, of 

 which we have so many, which are at once difficult to place 

 with accuracy and hard to characterize satisfactorily. The 

 forms usually placed in this family are strangely varied, and, 

 but for certain technical characters, would hardly be supposed 

 to belong to the same order even. There are about six Amer- 

 ican species, and yet they have been placed in three distinct 

 sub-families. 



The family of the Cuckoos agrees with that of the Wood- 

 peckers and the Parrots in having the feet disposed in pairs, 

 two being anterior and two posterior (zygodactyle), it being the 

 " fourth " toe which in this case is reversable. In respect to 

 other distinguishing marks we have : Bill about the length of 

 the head, barely curved, and slightly compressed ; toes short 

 compared to the length of the tarsus. And here we must 

 stop, as it is impossible to proceed any farther with satisfac- 

 tion. The remaining external features are so different in the 

 different sub-families which have been formed of the group, 

 that we must let them speak for themselves. It was formerly 

 attempted to treat these sub-families as genera, but in view of 

 the peculiarities of form, the constancy of the characters, and 

 the relation to the universal family of Cucididce, our best 

 writers to-day have decided upon retaining the sub-family in 

 each case. Upon comparing the species, the student will 

 without doubt justify this decision. 



