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.
[Illustration: THE KOKIL, OR LARGE GREEN-BILLED MALKOHA (_Zanclostomus
tristis_).]