C U C U L U S. 
downwards, and a firing, in an arched fiiape, was fuf. 
pended acrofs the opening, faftened by the two ends, 
fuppofed for the bird to perch on. 
34. Ciiciilus vetula, the old woman, or long-billed rain 
cuckoo : fomewhat larger than a blackbird : bill above 
an inch and a half long, and black; crown of the head 
browp ; upper parts of the body cinereous olive ; throat 
and fore part of the neck whitifh ; the reft of the under 
parts rufous; tail cuneated ; the two middle feathers ci¬ 
nereous olive, the others-dufky black, tipped with white; 
legs blue black. Inhabits Jamaica, where it is frequent 
in the woods and hedges, all the year round. It feeds 
on feeds, fmull worms, and caterpillars, and is very tame. 
This bird has the name tacco, from its cry. As well as 
infedts, it will alfoeat lizards, fmall fnakes, frogs, young 
rats, and fmall birds. The fnakes they fwallow head 
foremoft, letting the tail hang out of the mouth rill the 
fore parts are digefted. It is fo gentle as to fuffer the 
negro children to catch it with their hands. Its gait is 
that of leaping, like a magpie, frequently being leen on 
the ground ; and its flight but fttort, chiefly from bufh 
to bufh. It has the name of rain-bird, becaufe it makes 
a great noife before rain. 
35. Cuculus pluvialis, the rain cuckoo : lefs than a 
blackbird ; bill black ; top of the head deep brown ; 
upper part of the body, wings, and two middle tail fea¬ 
thers, cinereous olive ; throat and fore part of the neck 
White, which, on the throat, appears like a downy beard, 
whence perhaps the name of old man ; breaft, and under 
parts of the body rufous ; all the tail feathers, except 
the two middle ones, are black, tipped with white ; legs 
bluifh black. Native of Jamaica, where it is known by 
the name of old man or rain-bird, being reftlefs and noily 
before rain, like the preceding. 
36. Cuculus minor, the fmall cuckoo: this is the 
fmalleft of all the preceding : the bill as in the laft ; as 
■are the upper parts of the body and tail; irides yellow ; 
chin white ; the reft of the parts beneath pale rufous. 
It inhabits Cayenne, and lives on infects, efpecially thole 
large caterpillars which feed on the leaves of the man¬ 
grove ; for the purpofe of which, thefe birds frequent 
the places where fuch trees grow, and are principally 
found there. 
37. Cuculus Americanus, the American cuckoo : fize 
of a blackbird ; bill black, bafe yellowifh ; upper parts 
of the body cinereous olive ; under parts white ; quills 
pale rufous; tail cuneated, the two middle feathers are 
the fame colour as the back ; the others black, tipped 
with white ; legs brown. Inhabits Carolina in the hum¬ 
mer time, where it frequents the deep thick woods. 
3S. Cuculus Guira, the Guiracuckoo : fizeof amagpie ; 
"bill dullifh yellow ; irides brown ; head brown down the 
middle, and yellowifh on the hides ; thofe of the throat 
and neck, on the contrary, are yellowilh down the mid¬ 
dle, and browm at the fides ; back, rump, breaft, belly, 
hides, thighs, upper and under tail coverts, and beneath 
the wings, pale yellowifh white ; feathers on the crown 
longifh, forming a pendent creft; quills and tail brown, 
tipped with white; legs fea-green. Inhabits Brafil, 
where it makes a great cry in the woods, guira! guira! 
39. Cuculus ridibundus, the laughing cuckoo : length 
fixteen inches; head and parts above fulvous; bill bluifh 
black; irides white; throat, fore part of the neck, and 
breaft, cinereous ; belly, fides, thighs, and under tail co¬ 
verts, black ; tail of a blackilh fulvous colour, half the 
length of the bird. Inhabits Mexico. The cry of this 
bird is like that of human laughter ; on which account 
it is dreaded by the Indians, as inaufpicious and omi¬ 
nous, foreboding fome evil or mifchief. 
40. Cuculus naevius, the fpotted cuckoo : fize of a 
fieldfare ; bill black on the top, and rufous on the fides; 
general colour of the plumage rufous in two (hades; 
the under parts rufous white ; the feathers on the crown 
are deep brown, with rufous tips; hind part of the neck 
rufous grey ; down the fliafts deep brown ; back and 
Von. V. No. *85. 
441 
rump the fame ; each feather tipped with a rufous fpot; 
under tail goverts rufous ; quills grey-brown, edged 
with rufous, and a fpot of the fame at the tips ; tail cu¬ 
neated ; legs afh-colour. Inhabits Cayenne. 
41. Cuculus pundfulatus, the pundfated cuckoo: 
length nine inches; bill bent, and of a black colour; 
head, neck, and upper parts of the body, brown and 
glofl'y ; every feather marked with a pale rufous fpot at 
the tip ; wings and tail browm, but darker than the reft, 
and the feathers fpotted at the tips like the others; belly 
and vent dirty white ; legs brown. Inhabits Cayenne. 
42. Cuculus Dominicus, the St. Domingo cuckoo : 
fize of a thru fit ; bill brown; plumage above grey- 
brown ; beneath pale afh-colour ; quills rufous, tipped 
and margined with grey-brown; tail cuneated ; the two 
middle feathers as the back ; the others black, with 
white tips ; and the outer one white on the outer mar¬ 
gin ; legs and claws grey-brown. Inhabits Guiana, St. 
Domingo, and Louiliana. 
43. Cuculus Cayanus, the Cayenne cuckoo : fize of a 
blackbird ; bill grey-browm ; plumage on the upper parts 
purplifh chefnut; beneath the fame, but paler; quills 
the fame as the upper parts, tipped with brown ; tail 
the fame; near the end black, and tipped with white; 
legs grey-brown. This inhabits Cayenne, where it goes 
by the name of Piaye or Devil. The natives give it that 
name, as a bird of ill omen. There is a variety of this 
fpecies, with the head and upper parts purplifh-chefnut; 
throat to the breaft the fame, but paler ; belly, fides, 
and thighs, brown-afli ; under tail coverts deep chefnut- 
brown. Alfo, another variety mentioned by Buifon : 
hath an afh-coloured head ; throat and breaft rufous; 
and the reft of the under parts cinereous black. 
44. Cuculus tranquillus, the tranquil cuckoo : length 
eleven inches ; bill and irides red ; general colour of 
the plumage black ; the parts beneath lefs dark than 
thofe above, inclining to afh ; upper wing coverts bor¬ 
dered with white ; tail wedge-fhaped, with a tubercle 
or fpur at the fore part of the wing. It is a folitary 
bird, found moflly perched on trees which grow near the 
water. Inhabits Cayenne, 
45. Cuculus tenebrofus, the dufky cuckoo : length 
eight inches and a quarter; bill dufky ; the plumage is 
wholly black, except the lower part of the back and 
rump, belly, thighs, and vent, all of which are white ; 
on the belly the white is feparated from the black by a 
kind of orange band ; tail cuneated; legs yellow. In¬ 
habits Cayenne. 
46. Cuculus pyrrhocephalus, the red-headed cuckoo : 
length fixteen inches; bill arched, ftrong, and of a green- 
i(h colour ; crown and part of the cheeks bright crim- 
fon, entirely furrounded by a band of white ; hind part 
of the head and neck black, marked with fmall fpots of 
white ; fore part of the neck entirely black ; back and 
wings black ; tail very long, unequal, the lower part 
black; ends white; breaft and belly white; legs pale 
blue. Inhabits Ceylon, where it is called malkoka, and 
lives on fruits. 
47. Cuculus Brafilienfis, the Brafilian cuckoo ; length 
©nly ten inches ; bill red ; the head is pale red, adorned 
with a creft of a deeper red, variegated with black ; parts 
above deep red; beneath pale red, with a tinge of yel¬ 
low on the belly ; upper wing coverts pale red, mixed 
with yellow ; quills and tail yellow, with a fhade of 
black. 
48. Cuculus Indicus, the Indian cuckoo : tail round¬ 
ed ; body black; wings and tip of the tail with three 
irregular tranfverfe white lines : fixteen inches long ; 
flies in flocks, and feeds on infedts; bill ftrong and., 
whitifh; legs blue. Inhabits India. 
49. Cuculus ferratus, the ferrated cuckoo : plumage 
black, with a white ferrate fpot on the wings ; twelve 
inches and a half long; tail longer than the body; plumage 
of* the thighs lax j legs black. Inhabits the Cape of 
Good Hope. 
3 U 50. CucuUvs 
