MANGROVE CUCKOO. 
437 
put together, but still little more than a concave flooring, and 
lined with moss occasionally, and withered catkins of the hick- 
ory. The female sits very close on the nest, admitting a near 
approach before flying; the young, before acquiring their 
feathers, are of a uniform bright grayish blue ; at a little dis- 
tance from the nest the male keeps up the usual rattling call 
of kow kow kow kow, the note increasing in loudness and 
quickness ; sometimes the call seems like kh' kh' kh’ kh' 'kh 
’kah, the notes growing louder, and running together like those 
of the Yellow- winged Woodpecker. This species has also, 
before rain, a peculiar call, in a raucous, guttural voice, like 
orrattotoo or worraiiotoo. It is less timorous than the Yellow- 
billed kind ; and near the nest with young, I have observed 
the parent composedly sit and plume itself for a considerable 
time without showing any alarm at my presence. It is equally 
addicted to the practice of sucking the eggs of other birds. 
Indeed, one that I saw last summer, kept up for hours a con- 
stant watch after the eggs of a Robin sitting in an apple-tree, 
which, with her mate, kept up at intervals a running fight with 
the Cuckoo for two days in succession. 
This species is considered less abundant than the Yellow-billed, 
but it has much the same general distribution ; it goes, however, 
farther north, having been taken in Newfoundland and Labrador, 
and is common in Manitoba, where the Yellow-billed is not found. 
The Black-billed is rather common in New Brunswick and Nova 
Scotia. 
MANGROVE CUCKOO. 
COCCYZUS MINOR. 
Char. Above, olive ; head, ashy; below, buff with tawny tinge, paler 
towards the chi . ; middle tail-feather olive, rest black, broadly tipped 
with white. Length 12 inches. 
Nest. In a low tree or bush ; loosely made of twigs. 
Eggs. 3-4; pale green or bluish green; 1.25 X 0.90. 
The Mangrove Cuckoo is especially a West Indian bird, but is 
a resident also of the Florida Keys, though not common there. 
A few examples have been met with in Louisiana. 
