T H E Y E L L O W - B I L L E D CUCKOO.
COCCYZUS AMERICANUS. BoNAP.
P L A T E II. MALE AND FEMALE.
WERE I inclined, like many persons who write on Natural History, to
criticise the figures given by other students, I should find enough to be
censured; but as my object is simply to communicate the result of studies
t o which I have devoted the greater part of my life, I shall content myself
w i t h merely recommending to those intent on the advancement of that
most interesting science, to bestow a little more care on their representations
of the bills, legs and feet of the species which they bring into
notice, and let it be seen that they indeed borrow from nature.
From Nature !—How often are these words used, when at a glance he
who has seen the perfect and beautiful forms of birds, quadrupeds or
other objects, as they have come from the hand of Nature, discovers that
the representation is not that of living Nature ! But I am deviating
from the track which I wish to follow, my desire being simply to give
y o u an opportunity, good reader, of judging for yourself as to the truth
o f my delineations, and to present you with the results of my observations
made in those very woods where the subjects have been found and depicted.
The flight of the bird now before you is rapid, silent, and horizontal,
as it moves from one tree to another, or across a field or river, and is
generally continued amongst the branches of the trees in our woods.
When making its way among the branches, it occasionally inclines the
body to either side, so as alternately to shew its whole upper or under
parts. During its southward migration, it flies high in the air, and in
such loose flocks that the birds might seem to follow each other, instead of
their keeping company together. On the other hand, early in March,
the greater number enter our southern boundaries singly, the males
arriving first, and the females a few weeks after. They do not fly in a
continued line, but in a broad front, as, while travelling with great rapidity
in a steam-boat, so as to include a range of a hundred miles in one
day, I have observed this Cuckoo crossing the Mississippi at many different
points on the same day. At this season, they resort to the deepest
YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO. 19
shades of the forests, and intimate their presence by the frequent repetition
of their dull and unmusical notes, which are not unlike those of the
young Bull-Frog. These notes may be represented by the word cow,
cow, repeated eight or ten times with increasing rapidity. In fact, from
the resemblance of its notes to that wo'rd, this Cuckoo is named Cow
Bird in nearly every part of the Union. The Dutch farmers of Pennsylvania
know it better by the name of Rain Crow, and in Louisiana
the French settlers call it Coucou.
I t robs smaller birds of their eggs, which it sucks on all occasions, and
is cowardly and shy, without, being vigilant. On this latter account, it
often falls a prey to several species of Hawks, of which the Pigeon
Hawk (Falco columbarius) may be considered as its most dangerous
enemy. It prefers the Southern States for its residence, and when very
mild winters occur in Louisiana, some individuals remain there, not finding
it necessary to go farther south.
This bird is not abundant anywhere, and yet is found very far north.
I have met with it in all the low grounds and damp places in Massachusets,
along the line of Upper Canada, pretty high on the Mississippi and
Arkansas, and in every state between these boundary lines. Its appearance
in the State of New York seldom takes place before the beginning
of May, and at Green Bay not until the middle of that month. A pair
here and there seem to appropriate certain tracts to themselves, where
they rear their young in the midst of peace and plenty. They feed on
insects, such as caterpillars and butterflies, as well as on berries of many
kinds, evincing a special predilection for the mulberry. In autumn they
eat many grapes, and I have seen them supporting themselves by a momentary
motion of their wings opposite a bunch, as if selecting the ripest,
when they would seize it and return to a branch, repeating their visits in
this manner until satiated. They now and then descend to the ground,
to pick up a wood-snail or a beetle. They are extremely awkward at
walking, and move in an ambling manner, or leap along side wise, for
which the shortness of their legs is ample excuse. They are seldom seen
perched conspicuously on a twig, but on the contrary are generally to be
found amongst the thickest boughs and foliage, where they emit their
notes until late in autumn, at which time they discontinue them.
The nest is simple, flat, composed of a few dry sticks and grass, formed
much like that of the Common Dove, and, like it, fastened to a horizontal
branch, often within the reach of man, who seldom disturbs it.
B 2