130 CUCULUS CAROLISENSIS. 
other birds, like the crow, the blue jay, and 
pillaii-ers. They also occasionally eat various ku 
of berries. But, from the eircuiu.stance of destrov’i » 
such numbers of very noxious larvie, they prove the 
selves the friends of the fai'incr, and iwe highly desel 
inn- of his protection. , 
’ The yellow-billed cuckoo is thirteen inches m r 
and sixteen inches in extent; the whole upper ps ^ 
are of a dark glossy drab, or what is usually ‘••aUeu ‘ 
quaker colour, with greenish silky reflections; tre 
this must, however, be excepted the inner vanes ot i 
wings, which are bright reddish cinnamon ; the tau^ 
long, composed ot ten feathers, the tu’o middle c ^ 
being of the same colour as the back, the others, u 
gradually shorten to the exterior ones, are bhw 
largely 'tipt with nbitc; the two outer ones ^ 
scarcely half the length of tlu^ middle ones. The n » , 
louder parts are pure white; the feathers covering 
thighs being large, like those of the hawk tribe ; 
legs and feet are light blue, the toes jdaced tu'O bci% 
and two behind, as in the rest of the genus. The " 
is long, a little beat, very broad at the base, <!«!’ a 
bkick above, and yellow below; the eye hazel, IcAtb^ 
close to the eyelid, which is yellow. The female dm 
little from the male; the four middle tail feathers 
her are of the same uniform drab ; and the white, 
which the others are tipt, not so pure as in the mal*’ j 
In examining this bird by dissection, the im , 
membrane of the gizzard, which in many other 
is so hard and muscular, in this is extremely la.'t 
soft, capable of great distension; and, what is renuU y 
ble, is covered with a growth of fine down, or 
a light fawn colour. It is difficult to ascertain 
particular purpose which nature intends by 
crescence ; jierhaps it may serve to shield the tei ^ 
parts from the irritating effects produced by the l 
of certain caterpillars, some of which are said to 
almost equal to the sting' ot a nettle. 
4 
