The KOKIL, or LARGE, GREEN-BILLED MALKOHA (Zanclostomus tristis), an Indian species, is recognisable by its compressed and curved beak, moderate-sized feet, short toes armed with sharp claws, small, rounded wings, and a long graduated tail; the mantle is deep greyish green, the head and nape of a pure grey; the quills and tail are shaded with green, the feathers of the latter tipped with white; the throat and upper breast are pale grey, the lower breast and an outer circle around the eye white; the eye is deep brown, and the bare line by which it is surrounded a rich scarlet; the beak is apple-green, and foot greenish grey. This species is twenty-three inches long, the wing measures six inches, and the tail sixteen inches and three-quarters.
"This handsome bird," says Jerdon, "is found in Lower Bengal, Central India, and the Northern Circars; also in the warmer valleys of the Himalayas. It extends to Assam, Burmah, and Malacca, where it is very abundant. I have usually seen it solitary, wandering about in the forests, and eating large insects—mantides, crickets, grasshoppers, and also large caterpillars. In Sikim it is only found in the warmer valleys, at a height of about 3,000 feet. The eggs brought to me at Darjeeling were two in number, pure white, and of a long oval form. I did not see the nest, but was told it was a large mass of stick and roots. I took a similar egg from the oviduct of a female I shot. Mr. Blyth remarks that the presence of the Malkoha is often betrayed by its voice, which is a low monosyllabic chuck, often repeated, and delivered commonly when the bird is perched on a tree."
The RAIN CUCKOOS (Coccygi), a family inhabiting America, possess a comparatively powerful body, short wings, and a long tail, composed of twelve feathers; the beak is strong, and the feet in some species so well developed as to enable these birds to run with ease upon the ground. The plumage, which is remarkable for the softness of its texture, is almost alike in the two sexes. The female is somewhat longer than her mate. The members of this family are met with in all parts of America, being especially numerous in the southern portion of that continent. In their habits they much resemble their representatives in the Eastern Hemisphere, and like them lead a retired life in forests and well-wooded districts, subsisting upon insects, hairy caterpillars, and the eggs of their small feathered companions. Unlike the groups already described, these Cuckoos build a nest for the reception of their young, and rarely deposit their eggs in another bird's abode.
THE KOKIL, OR LARGE GREEN-BILLED MALKOHA
(Zanclostomus tristis).
THE RAIN OR YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO.
The RAIN or YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO (Coccygus Americanus) represents a group of the above birds characterised by their thin, delicate, compressed, and pointed beak, which is slightly curved, and almost equals the head in length. The feet are short, and wings long. The long graduated tail is composed of ten slender feathers. The plumage of the Rain Cuckoo is entirely of a light greyish brown above, and greyish white on the under side. The exterior quills are bordered with brownish orange, the tail-feathers black, tipped with white, the eye is deep brown, the upper mandible brownish black, and lower one of a yellow shade; the feet are blueish grey. This bird is twelve inches and a half in length; the wing measures five inches and a half, and the tail six inches and three-quarters.
"A stranger who visits the United States," says Wilson, "and passes through our woods in the month of May or June, will sometimes hear, as he traverses the borders of deep, retired, high-timbered hollows, an uncouth guttural sound or note, resembling the syllables 'kowe, kowe,' beginning very slowly, but ending so rapidly that the notes seem to run into each other. He will hear this frequently without being able to discover the bird or animal from which it proceeds, as it is both shy and solitary, always seeking the thickest foliage for concealment. This is produced by the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, which, from its cry, is known in Virginia as the Cow Bird. It is also called the Rain Crow, being observed to be most clamorous immediately before rain."
"The flight of this species," Audubon tells us, "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 boughs, it occasionally inclines the body to either side, so as alternately to show its whole upper or under parts. During its southward migrations, it flies high in the air, and in such loose flocks that the birds seem to follow each other, instead of keeping together. On the other hand, the males arrive singly; the males coming first, and the females a few weeks after. They do not fly in a continued line, but in a broad front. 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 Massachusetts, 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 takes place before the beginning of May, and at Green Bay not before the middle of that month. A pair here and there seem to appropriate certain tracts to themselves, where they rear their young in peace and plenty. The Yellow-billed Cuckoos feed on insects, such as caterpillars and butterflies, as well as on berries of various kinds, evincing a special predilection for the mulberry. In autumn they eat many grapes, and I have seen them supporting themselves by a momentary action of their wings opposite a bunch, selecting the ripest, when they would seize it and return to a branch, repeating their visits in this manner till satiated. They will also 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 limp along sideways, a clumsiness for which their short legs are an ample excuse. They are seldom seen perched conspicuously on a twig; but, on the contrary, are generally to be found among the thickest boughs and foliage, where they emit their notes until late in the autumn, after which they are discontinued. The nest is simple, 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. The bird would appear to make no particular selection as to situation or the nature of the tree, but settles anywhere indiscriminately. The eggs are four or five, of an oval form, and of a bright green colour. Only one brood is reared in the season, unless the first is removed or destroyed. According to Brewer the female commences sitting as soon as her first egg is deposited, it being no uncommon occurrence to find fresh-laid eggs and others containing almost fully developed young in the same nest. At first the young are principally fed on insects. Towards autumn they become very fat, and are fit for being eaten; few people, however, shoot them for the table, excepting the Creoles of Louisiana."