5i 
Its common name is derived from its cry, which has a 
striking resemblance to a hoarse laugh. 
The common kingfisher of our country, which is often 
seen sitting motionless on a branch over the water, watching 
intently for a small fish to pass within its reach, is the Belted 
Kingfisher ( Ceryle alcyoti). 
Quite a number of cuckoos are in existence throughout the 
world, some five or six being natives of America. The 
Chaparral Cock ( Geococcyx californianus) of Texas and 
Arizona, also known as Road Runner, from the extraordi¬ 
nary speed with which it runs, the Yellow-billed Cuckoo 
(Coccyzus americanus), and the Black-billed Cuckoo (C. 
erythopthalmus ), belong to this family. 
THE LAUGHING JACKASS. 
The American cuckoos seem to be free from the strange 
habit of laying their eggs in the nests of other birds, a para¬ 
sitical mode of providing for the young which is shared by a 
few unrelated species, as the American Cowbird, but which 
is more fully developed in the birds of this family, and nota¬ 
bly in the Common Cuckoo ( Cuculus canorum) of Europe. 
The Toco Toucan ( Rhamphastos toco). 
Cuvier’s Toucan ( R. cuvieri). 
Ariel Toucan ( R. arid). 
The Sulphur-breasted Toucan (R. carinatus). 
The Green-billed Toucan ( R . dicolorus). 
Maximilian’s Aracari ( Pteroglossus wiedi). 
