[ONE OsDEUIC ET Oe

 

XCll

: ; Vol. II. Pl. LXy,

197. NucIFRAGA CARYOCATACTES  . : 2 : :
NuTcRACKER.
e ° a A Vol. lie Pl TIT
198. NuciFRAGA CARYOCATACTES . ; ; : ; : iLxXw
NuTcrACKER (young).
Indigenous in most of the mountainous and woody countries of Europe: breeds abundantly in Switzerland.
5
. C ue, 3 oN ae ( fe - aoe
In England it can only be considered an accidental visitor. Mr. Harting, in his ‘ Handbook of British
5 -

id = c afew eH EPr > sre * a ‘ > Jo ey wr Po
Birds,’ enumerates about twenty instances of its occurrence here from the date Pennant wrote, 1753, to

within a few years of the present time, 1872; still these visits can only be regarded as accidental.

Family CUCULID.

The members of this great family of birds are rendered especially remarkable and interesting from the
circumstance of the greater number of them having parasitic habits. The entire family comprises about two
hundred species, which are subdivided into several subfamilies and many genera. They are universall
dispersed over the temperate portions of the globe ; but not more than a fourth part of the whole number
are found in America.

Genus Cucu.us.

The members of this genus, restricted to the true Cuckoos, are tolerably numerous. One species inhabits

Europe; and there are others in India, China, Java, Sumatra, the islands of the Indian archipelago, and

Australia ; they are also well represented in Africa.

199. CucuLus canorus . : . 3 : : : : é ; : Vol. I. Pl. LXVIL

Common Cuckoo.

200. CucuLus canorus

: : : : : : ‘ : ; : - Vol. I Pe ioxaaine

Common Cuckoo (young)

i Y 1 aE : ‘ : . ne . e : : a . . ®
he Common Cuckoo is a true migrant, coming to us from the south in May, and departing again in

September, the young being frequently left behind to a later period of the year,

I now find that the opini entured j ale : : shale
é opinion ventured in my account of this species as to the impossibility of the young
Cuckoo ejecting the young of its foster-parents at the early age of three or four days is erroneous ; for a lady
of undout "eracity ¢ Be eat ts ee
doubted veracity and considerable ability as an observer of nature and as an artist has actually seen

the act performed, and has illustre F
S lilustrat ‘+ state > fai ; : ; ine

a ated her statement of the fact by a sketch taken at the time, a tracing of

me by the Duke of Argyll,

which has been kindly sent to

and I have considered it of sufficient interest to