Cuckoo is found in Egypt, and examples received from South
Africa, though differing slightly, were considered by LeVail-
lant and M. Temminck to be of the same species.
The adult male Cuckoo has the beak bluish black, except
at the base, where it is pale brown; the irides yellow ; thé.
head, neck, back, and upper tail-coverts bluish grey; quill-
feathers rather darker, and the broad inner webs barred with
white ; tail long and graduated, the middle pair of,feathers
being the longest, and the outside feathers the shortest; the
colour greyish black, tipped with white, and a few white spots
on the centre and sides. Chin, neck, and upper part of the
breast, ash grey; lower part of breast, belly, and under wing-
coverts, white,.barred transversely with lead grey; vent, and
under tail-coverts, also white, but the dark bars are less numerous;
legs and toes gamboge yellow.
The whole length about fourteen inches ; from the carpal
joint to the end óf the wing eight" inches and three-quarters;
the first quill-feather near three inches shorter than the
second, which is equal to the fourth, the third feather the
longest in the wing.
The female is smaller than the male, and on her-first return
to' this country has the neck barred with brown, and
the wings and back tinged with brown ; adult females differ
but little from adult males.
Young birds of the year, when they have attained the
length of twelve inches, have the irides brown.; whole of the
upper surface of head and body barred alternately, with
brownish red and clove brown ; quill and tail-feathers reddish
brown, the former barred with white, the latter spotted with
white in the line of the shaft of the- feather: neck, breast,
and under parts, dull white, closely barred with dark brown.
Young birds about to leave the nest have the tail very short,
and tipped with white; some of the feathers on the upper
surface of the body are also white at the end.
1NSESSORES. : . CUCULIDM.
s SCANSORES.
T H E YELLOW-BILLED AMERICAN CUCKOO.
Goccyzus Americanus, Carolina Cuckoo, J e n y n s , Brit. Brit. p. 155.
>t n Virginian ,, Eyton, Rare Brit. Birds, p. &3. , American ,, Gould, Birds of Europo, pt. xxii.
Quculus, cinerosus, Coucqu Cendrillard, T im m . Suppl.Man. d’Ornith. p.277.
Generic Characters__Beak of moderate length, rather slender, thickened at
the base, somewhat curved, compressed, pointed ; ridge of the upper mandible
rounded.' Nostrils basal, the aperture pierced in a membrane. Legs with the
tarsi and middle toe of equal length, outer toe reversible. Wings short, concave.
Tail long, graduated.
F o u r examples of this Yellow-billed American Cuckoo
havine been taken in Great Britain,—namely, two in Ireland,
one in Wales, and one in Cornwall; and M. Temminck, as
well as Mr. Gould, having admitted the species among their
Birds of Europe, it is considered to be entitled to a place in
this work.
The first notice which appeared of the occurrence of this bird