CHAPTER X. 
THE AMERICAN CUCKOO. 
AM now going to tell you of a very curious 
bird,” said Miss Harson, “and one with which 
you are not so well acquainted as with many of the 
others. This is the American cuckoo, or cow-bird, 
as it is frequently called, because its notes sound 
like the words cow , cow. 
“ The cow-bird is seven inches long ; the male is 
black, with shades of glossy green in a strong light ; 
the head and neck a silky drab, while the upper 
part of the breast is a dark, changeable violet. The 
female is brown, with lighter shades beneath. It 
cannot be called a singing-bird, like its English 
cousin, as ‘it merely utters a sort of simple, cack- 
ling complaint when disturbed ; and this also con- 
stitutes the expression of its pleasure at finding its 
companions, varying only in a more rapidly-repeated 
monotony/ 
“ It has the peculiarity, though, in common with 
the English cuckoo of laying its eggs in other 
birds’ nests, both to avoid the trouble of building 
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