A dictionary of British birds : reprinted from Montagu's Ornithological dictionary, and incorporating the additional species described by Selby; Yarrell, in all three editions, and in natural-history journals / compiled and edited by Edward Newman.

  • George Montagu
Date:
1866
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A dictionary of British birds : reprinted from Montagu's Ornithological dictionary, and incorporating the additional species described by Selby; Yarrell, in all three editions, and in natural-history journals / compiled and edited by Edward Newman. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    regurgitate like raminating’ quadrupedes. Whether this is a pai’t of his last meal that may be in a reservoir under the tongue, as in the Eook, or whether it pro- ceeds from the craw, we have not the means at xiresent to deteimine; but the act of regui’gitation is marked by reite- rated motions of the head, Eke a bu’d that has something stuck in Ids bdl and want- ing to swaEow it. When fuE fed, and he is offered food, it sometimes appears to urge that moEon, as if he was trying to find if more could be conveniently taken. With a very considerable share of attach- ment he is naturaUy pugnacious, and the hand that the moment before had ten- dered him food and caresses wEl repent an attempt to take him up. To cldldi'en he has an utter aversion, and tvEI scarcely suffer them to enter the gai'den. Even strangers of any age are challenged vo- ciferously ; he approaches aU with daring impudence, and so completely does the sight of strangers change his affections for the time, that even his favourites and best benefactors cannot touch him -ndth impunity in these moments of evident displeasure. Crow, Royston.—See Crow, Hooded. Crow, Scare.—See Crow, Hooded; and Tem, Black. Crow, Sea. — See [Auk, EazorbiEed]; Corvorant; Gull, Skua; and GuU, Black- headed. Cuckow, or Cuckoo.—A genus of bu-ds, the characters of which are: BEl some- what arched. Tongue short. Tail com- posed of ten feathers. Toes, two back- ward, two forwai'd. [Cuckoo, American Yellowbilled.— Coccy- zus Americanus, Yarrell, u. 209. — “ The beak is as long as the head; both man- dibles sEghtly curved, the upper one brownish black, incEning to yellow at the base; tlie under mandible yellow, except at the extreme point, which is nearly black; the hides hazel; the top of the head, back of the neck, the back, the wing- coverts, quiU-feathers, and the two central taE-feathers, yellowish brown; the inner webs of the primary quEl-feathers chest- nut ; the taE-feathers on each side of the central pair black; the others black, broadly tipijed with white ; the outer fea- ther white on the external web; the tail gi'aduated; chin, throat, neck in front, ■ breast, beUy, and under taE-coverts, grey- ish white; the flanks and thighs pale brown; legs, toes, and claws, greyish lead- colour. The whole length of the bu-d is about twelve inches. From the carpal joint to the end of the wing, five inches and five-eighths; the first quEl-feather more than an inch shorter than the second; the second shorter than the tim'd or fourth, but equal to the fifth; the third feather longer than the fourth, and the longest in the wing.” — Yarrell, E. 214. Two specimens of this bird have occurred in Ireland—one near Youghal, in the county Cork; the other at Old Connaught, near Bray : one in Cornwall, of the pre- cise locaEty of which we have no informa- tion ; and one on the estate of Lord Caw'- der, in Wales. The species is a native of North America, and only appears here as an accidental straggler.] Cuckow, Common. — lYarrell, E. 194; Uewitson, IxiE. 251.] Cuculus canorus, Lin. Syst. i. p. 108, 1; Gvul. Syst. i. p. 409; Rail Syn. p. 23; Will. p. 0, t. 10, 27. Bris. iv. p. 105, 1; Ind. Orn. i. p. 207, 1; Phil. Trans. Ixxviu. p. 219 (Jenner); Shaw, Zool. Lect. i. t. 60; Bewick, Br. Birds, i. t. p. 108; Lath. Syn. Sup. E. p. 133; Coucou, Buf. vi. p. 305. Common Cuckow, Br. Zool. i. No. 82, t. 36 ; Ih. fol. 80, t. G.G. 1; Arct. Zool. E. t. 206, A.; WilL Angl. p. 97, t. 10, 77; Albin, i. t. 8; Hayes, Br. Birds, t. 17, 18; Leicin, Br. Birds, E. t. 42; Lath. Syn. E. p. 509,1; Ib. Sup. p. 98; Wale. Syn. i. t. 43; Don. Br. Birds, E. t. 41; Pxdt. Cat. Dorset, p. 5. Pro- vincial : Gowk.— The Common Cuckow is the only British species; it weighs about four ounces and a haE; length fourteen inches. The bEl is black, yeEowish at the base of the under mandible; inside of the* mouth red; hides yeUow; the head and whole upper pai’t of the bh'd dark ash- colom’; throat, under side of the neck, and upper breast, of a pale ash-colour, the latter in some inclining to rufous-brown ; lower breast and beEy white, mai'ked with transverse undulated black- Enes; the qiEE-featliers are dusky, the inner webs barred with oval white spots; the tail consists of ten feathers of unequal length, the two middle ones black, dashed with ash-colour, and tipped with white; the rest are black, marked with white spots on each side the shaft; in some the lateral feathers have white spots only on their interior webs, but are all tipped with white. The female is rather less, and in general differs from the other sex in the neck and bi'east being of a tawnyish brown, barred ■with dusky, and the coverts of the wings marked wth Eght ferru- ginous spots; the markings on tlie tail and quiE-feathers much Eke the ruEe, only the edges of the spots are inclining to reddish browm ; the legs of both sexes short and yeUow. The outer tail-feather
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