THE YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 
295 
to appropriate certain tracts to themselves, where they rear their young in the 
midst of peace and plenty. They feed on insects, such as caterpillars and 
butterflies, as well as on berries of many kinds, evincing a special predilection 
for the mulberry. In autumn they eat many grapes, and I have seen them 
supporting themselves by a momentary motion of their wings opposite a 
bunch, as if selecting the ripest, when they would seize it and return to a 
branch, repeating their visits in this manner until satiated. They now and 
then descend to the ground, to pick up a wood-snail or a beetle. They are 
extremely awkward at walking, and move in an ambling manner, or leap 
along sidewise, for which the shortness of their legs is ample excuse. They 
are seldom seen perched conspicuously on a twig, but on the contrary are 
generally to be found amongst the thickest boughs and foliage, where they 
emit their notes until late in autumn, at which time they discontinue them. 
The nest is simple, flat, composed of a few dry sticks and grass, formed 
much like that of the Common Dove, and, like it, fastened to an horizontal 
branch, often within the reach of man, who seldom disturbs it. It makes 
no particular selection as to situation or the nature of the tree, but settles 
anywhere indiscriminately. The eggs are four or five, of a rather elongated 
oval form, and bright green colour. They rear only one brood in a season, 
unless the eggs are removed or destroyed. The young are principally fed 
with insects during the first weeks. Towards autumn they become very fat, 
and are fit for being eaten, although few persons, excepting the Creoles 
of Louisiana, shoot them for the table. 
Whilst at Charleston in South Carolina, in the early part of June, 1837, 1 
was invited by James Smith Rhett, Esq., residing in the suburbs of that 
city, to visit his grounds for the purpose of viewing the nest of this bird. 
This I did in company with my friend Dr. Samuel Wilson, and we found 
ourselves highly gratified, as we were enabled to make the following obser- 
vations 
A nest, which was placed near the centre of a tree of moderate size, was 
reached by a son of the gentleman on whose ground we were. One of the 
old birds, which was sitting upon it, left its situation only when within a 
few inches of the climber’s hand, and silently glided off to another tree close 
by. Two young Cuckoos nearly able to fly scrambled off from their tene- 
ment among the branches of the tree, and were caught by us after awhile. 
The nest was taken, and carefully handed to me. It still contained three 
young Cuckoos, all of different sizes, the smallest apparently just hatched, 
the next in size probably several days old, while the largest, covered with 
pin-feathers, would have been able to leave the nest in about a week. There 
were also in the nest two eggs, one containing a chick, the other fresh or 
lately laid. The two young birds which escaped from the nest, clung so 
