38G ScANSORF.g. BIRDS. Oucuiada?. 
THE GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOO {Coccystes glanda- 
riMs), a native of Northernand Western Africa, measures 
about fifteen inches in length, but of this the tail con- 
stitutes nearly half. This bird is of a grayish-black 
colour above, with the head dark ash-colour, and 
adorned with a crest of long feathers, and with nearl}' all 
tlie feathers of the wings tipped with white ; the tail- 
coverts are long and pointed, and tipped with white, 
as are also the graduated tail-feathers, of which the 
two middle ones are brown, and the rest blackish ; the 
whole of the lower surface is white. Individuals oi 
this species migrate in the summer into the southern 
countries of Europe ; they are most abundant in Italy 
and Spain. A single specimen has also been taken in 
Ireland. 
LE VAILLANT’S CMCKQO {Coccystes serratii.$\ another 
African species, is known at the Cape of Good Hope 
as the Niewe Jaars Voogel, or New-Year’s-bird, from 
a supposition that it only makes its appearance at New- 
Year’s-da3\ 
THE PIED CRESTED-CUCKOO ( Coccystes melanoleucos), 
which is generally distributed in India, and especially 
abundant in Bengal and Cejdon, is black. above, and 
white beneath, with a white spot upon each wing, and 
the tips of the tail-feathers white. It is about eleven 
inches in length. This bird frequents the tops of trees, 
and feeds principally upon catei-pillars, and other soft 
insects. It deposits its eggs in the nests of a species of 
Malacocercus. Mr. E. L. Layard observed a pair of 
the latter hovering with great solicitude over a bush, 
and on his approaching, they flew off, as if wounded, 
to lead him from the spot ; on examining the bush, he 
found that the object of their anxious cares was a 
young Cuckoo of the present species, and on capturing 
it, the old birds flew about him uttering cries of distress. 
THE ANI {Crotophaga Am ). — Several species of this 
famih', inhabitants of South America, and known 
under the native name of Ani, are distinguished by the 
form of the bill, which is much compressed, with tlie 
ridge of the up{)er mandible greatly curved, and dilated 
at the base into a thin sharp plate or crest. The 
common Ani is about fourteen inches in length, and 
of a black colour, with a violet gloss ; its tail is very 
long and gi'aduated. It inhabits the savannahs and 
the banks of streams in the West Indian islands, and 
in Brazil and Paraguay, living in small societies in the 
forests even during the breeding season, when several 
males and females work together in the formation of a 
common nest ; after the completion of which the females 
perform the business of incubation and rearing the 
young in common. The food of this bird and its 
allies consists principally of insects and their larvce; 
it is fond of searching the skins of cattle for the para- 
sites adhering to them, and may even be seen sus- 
pended from the tail of a cow, carefully' examining the 
tuft of hairs at its extremity for any insects that may 
hai'bour there. Flies and other winged insects are 
captured by it on the wing. It also feeds partially 
upon fruits and berries. 
THE COUROLL {Leptosomus ofer) is an inhabitant of 
Southern Africa and of Madagascar, in the latter of 
which countries it is called the Vourong-drion • its 
name of Cbio’oZZhas been given to it by the French 
ornithologists to express its apparent combination of 
the characters of the Cuckoos and the Rollers. It is 
eighteen or nineteen inches in length, of which about 
half is made up by the long tail ; its colour is a bronzed 
green above, with the primary quills greenish -black ; 
the back of the head bears a tuft of bronzed-brown 
feathers ; a black sti-eak runs from the angle of the 
mouth to the eye ; the neck and the upper part of the 
breast are of a delicate slaty-gray, and the rest of the 
lower surface nearly white. The female is said to be 
reddish-brown, spotted with brown, above, and light 
red, variegated with black, beneath. This bird resides 
in the forests, and lives principally upon fruits, but 
also devours large insects, such as locusts, mantides, 
and cicadas. It hatches its own eggs, and brings up 
its own young. 
THE CHANNEL-BILL (S'ljyt/irqpsWocfE Hollnndice ). — 
New South Wales is the native country of this remark- 
able bird, which, having been placed amongst the 
Hornbills by some naturalists, and with the Toucans 
by others, has at last found a permanent resting-place 
in the family of the Cuckoos. It is a large species, 
measuring about twenty inches in length, and is fur- 
nished with a long and powerful bill, of which the 
upper mandible is strongly channeled on each side a 
little below the ridge, and has its margins pretty 
strongly denticulated or festooned for some distance 
from the point. The plumage is gray, that of the back, 
wings, and tail being darkest, and having each feather, 
including the central tail-feathei's, tipped with brown- 
ish-black ; the rest of the tail-feathers bear a broad 
black band near the apex, the tip itself being white ; 
the abdomen and lower surface of the wings are buft'y- 
white, with indistinct grayish-brown transverse bars. 
The eyes are surrounded by a scailet skin, which 
descends to the nostrils at the base of the bill, and the 
bill itself is of a pale-brown colour. 
The Channel -bill is a migratory bird, arriving in 
New South Wales in October and departing in Januaiy ; 
its winter residence is unknown. The food of this 
bird consists of insects, especially the large phasmidre 
and beetles, which its large and strong bill enables it 
to destroy and devour with facility. Its habits in the 
breeding season are quite unknown. 
THE YELLOW-BILLED AMERICAN CUCKOO ( Coccyzus 
americanus ). — This bird is a summer visitor to the 
United States of North America, where it is commonlj' 
known as the Cow-hird, from its note resembling the 
word cow. It passes the winter in the West Indies, 
and migrates in the spring as far north as Canada. A 
few specimens have been killed in this country, although 
it would appear almost impossible for the birds to cross 
the Atlantic. The Yellow-billed Cuckoo is brownish- 
gray above, exhibiting greenish, reddish, and bluish 
tints, according to the direction of the light; tlie lower 
surface is of a silveiy whiteness; the two middle tail- 
feathers are light brownish-orange, and the remainder 
black, tipped with white, The bill is brownish-black, 
with the base of the upper mandible and the whole ot 
the lower one, except the extreme tip, bright yellow. 
The food of this bird consists principally of cater- 
pillars, but it also eats fruits of different kinds, and is 
accused of sucking the eggs of other lirds. It builds 
