130 
CUCULUS CAROLINENSIS. 
other birds, like the crow, the blue jay, and other 
pillagers. They also occasionally eat various kinds 
of berries. But, from the circumstance of destroying 
such numbers of very noxious larvae, they prove them- 
selves the friends of the farmer, and are highly deserv- 
ing of his protection. 
The yellow-billed cuckoo is thirteen inches long, 
and sixteen inches in extent ; the whole upper parts 
are of a dark glossy drab, or what is usually called a 
quaker colour, with greenish silky reflections; from 
this must, however, be excepted the inner vanes of the 
wings, which are bright reddish cinnamon ; the tail is 
long, composed of ten feathers, the two middle ones 
being of the same colour as the back, the others, which 
gradually shorten to the exterior ones, are black, 
largely tipt with white ; the two outer ones are 
scarcely half the length of the middle ones. The whole 
lower parts are pure white ; the feathers covering the 
thighs being large, like those of the hawk tribe ; the 
legs and feet are light blue, the toes placed two before 
and two behind, as in the rest of the genus. The bill 
is long, a little bent, very broad at the base, dusky 
black above, and yellow below ; the eye hazel, feathered 
close to the eyelid, which is yellow. The female differs 
little from the male ; the four middle tail feathers in 
her are of the same uniform drab ; and the white, with 
which the others are tipt, not so pure as in the male. 
In examining this bird by dissection, the inner 
membrane of the gizzard, which in many other species 
is so hard and muscular, in this is extremely lax and 
soft, capable of great distension ; and, what is remarka- 
ble, is covered with a growth of fine down, or hair, of 
a light fawn colour. It is difficult to ascertain the 
particular purpose which nature intends by this ex- 
crescence ; perhaps it may serve to shield the tender 
parts from the irritating effects produced by the hairs 
of certain caterpillars, some of which are said to be 
almost equal to the sting of a nettle. 
