9 
black cuhao , 14 the grass-loving sabacot, xr ° and various small¬ 
er and less known forest-inhabiting kinds. The cuckoos 
are very industrious in their search for insects, of which 
they consume enormous quantities. They are not annoyed 
by the hairs of certain larvae, but eat these, hairs and all. 
Some cuckoos are so devoted to certain evil-smelling bugs 
that they acquire a somewhat similar odor. Beetles, bugs, 
locusts, caterpillars, spiders, and snails are all welcome 
to the cuckoos. The cuckoo family is especially important 
because many of the species are among the largest of 
insect-eating birds; therefore, they destroy a larger bulk 
of insects per bird than do small birds, such as nuthatches, 
flycatchers, and chickadees. 
Hornbills. —The large and bizarre birds known as horn- 
bills (the largest known to Filipinos as calao, or cao, 10 and 
a smaller kind known as tcirictic, or talictic 17 ) must con¬ 
sume great quantities of forest fruits and thus help to 
scatter the seeds in new localities. They are also helpful 
to a certain extent in killing beetles, but just what part they 
play in the economics of the forest is not known. 
Woodpeckers. —The woodpeckers ( carpintero , or pica 
madera) are especially fitted for working in wood, and there 
is no reason to believe that they will be found to be any¬ 
thing but beneficial to the trees, which they relieve of the 
grubs embedded in the bark and wood. 
Swallows, sivifts, and nighthawks .—The swallows, 
swifts, and nighthawks are excellent examples of how 
species not closely related may be very similar in super¬ 
ficial appearance. All these birds have short legs, small 
and weak feet, long wings which give them swift flight, 
and large mouths. These features fit them for the pursuit 
14 Eudynamys mindanensis (Linnaeus). 
15 Centropus viridis (Scopoli). This is the most abundant and 
best-known species of the genus, but several others, some of them 
larger than C. viridis, are conspicuous in various localities. Among 
these are Centropus unirufus (Cabanis and Heine), C. vielanops 
.Lesson, and C. sinensis (Stephens). 
™ Hydrocorax hydrocorax (Linnaeus) and two other species of 
this genus. 
17 Penelopides manillx (Boddaert) and several other species of 
this genus in different islands. 
