32 
allen’s naturalist’s library. 
of the young birds were sufficiently advrinced to scmmble out 
of the nest, and the other three were of different ages, one being 
just hatched, another several days old, and the third still further 
advanced, covered with “ pen ’’-feathers, so that it would have 
been able to fly in about a week. His friend Mr. Rhett, in 
whose garden this nest was found, assured him that he had 
known as many as eleven young Cuckoos to be reared in a 
nest in the course of one season. The late Ur. Brewer says 
that the breeding-season lasts from one to four months, so that 
it will be seen that the nesting-habits of the American Cuckoo 
differ strikingly from those of their European cousins. 
Nest. — In the construction of this, little art is displayed. It 
is made of a few sticks and twigs without any perceptible con- 
cavity, and has a few green weeds and apple-blossoms inter- 
mixed. 
Eggs.— Uniform light bluish-green, which rapidly fades, even 
in a cabinet, according to Dr. Brewer. Axis, I'a-i's inch; 
diam., o'g-ro, 
II. THE BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO. COCCYZUS 
ERYTHROPIITHALMUS. 
Cuctilus erythropthalma, Wilson, Am. Orn. iv. p. i6 (i8ii). 
Coccyzus erythrophthalnius, Dresser, B. Eur. v. p. 231, pi. 301, 
fig. I (1876); B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 85 (1883) ; Saun- 
ders, Man. p. 280 (1889); Shelley, Cat. B. xix. p. 311 
(1891). 
Adult Male.— Similar to C. americamis, but distinguished by 
the narrow white tips to the tail-feathers, which have a black 
sub-terminal band. There is no chestnut lining to the quills, 
which have only a little rufous-buff colour at the base ; bill 
black with sometimes a little yellow at the base of the lower 
mandible ; feet leaden-grey ; iris dark brown. Total length, 1 1 
inches; culmen, o'9 ; wing, 6'o; tail, 6-5; tarsus, 0-95. 
Adult Female.— Similar to the male. Total length, lo’S inches ; 
wing, 4‘8. 
Range in Great Britain.— Has occurred once near Belfast, in 
September, 1871. Another example has been obtained near 
T.,ucca in Italy, in 1858. 
