538 CUCULIDZ. 
MOROCOCCYX. 
Morococcyz, Sclater, Cat. Am. Birds, p. 322 (1862) ; Shelley, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xix. p. 422. 
A monotypic genus peculiar to Central America with no near allies. It belongs to 
the section of Ground-Cuckoos, but is a much smaller bird than either species of 
Geococcyx, which are, perhaps, its next of kin. 
Its range in Mexico seems confined to the Western States from Sinaloa to Tehuan- 
tepec; in Guatemala it is chiefly found in the valley of the Motagua river, and it also 
occurs in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. 
The general tint of the plumage is nearly uniform above with bronze tints, and pale 
chestnut beneath, and with dull whitish spots on the outer rectrices; the bill is short, 
the culmen regularly arched; the nostrils are oval and at the lower edge of the nasal 
fossa; the space round the eye is bare, and coloured blue in life, the eyelashes simple, 
strong bristles; the tarsi are mcderately long, and the toes longer in proportion than 
in Geococcyz; the primaries short, hardly exceeding the secondaries, the wings thus 
being much rounded ; the outer rectrices are about two-thirds the length of the middle 
pair, the tail being rounded. 
1. Morococcyx erythropygus, 
Coccyzus erythropyga, Less. Rev. Zool. 1842, p. 210’. 
Piaya erythropyyia, Des Murs, Icon. Orn. t. 66°; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 183°; G. C. Taylor, 
Ibis, 1860, p. 118+. 
Morococcyz erythropygia, Scl. Cat. Am. Birds, p. 322°; Lawr. Ann. Lyc. N. Y. ix. p. 128°; Mem. 
Bost. Soc. N. H. ii. p. 2937; Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p- 34°; v. Frant. J. f. Orn. 
1869, p. 361°; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 551"; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 48”; 
Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p. 239"; Nutting, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. vi. p. 888 **; Zeledon, An. 
Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1887, p. 123". . 
Morococcyx erythropygus, Shelley, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xix. p. 422”. 
Supra murinus seneo vix nitens, capite summo cervino striato, dorso postico saturate brunneo, lineis paucis 
cervinis transfasciato, stria superciliari cervina, oculorum ambitu nudo plumulis nigris undique marginato: 
subtus saturate fulvus, gula pallidiore, tectricibus subcaudalibus rufo-brunneis ; caudee rectricibus utrinque 
tribus cervino terminatis et fascia indistincta subterminali nigricante notatis; rostro flavido, maxilla supra 
nigricante ; pedibus pallide corylinis. Long. tota 10°7, ale 3-9, caude rectr. med. 5-2, rectr. lat. 3-6, 
rostri a rictu 1-2, tarsi 1-5. (Descr. maris ex La Libertad, Salvador. Mus. nostr.) 
Q mari similis. 
Hab. Mexico, Mazatlan (Grayson’), San Blas, Plains of Colima (W. B. Richardson), 
Acapulco, Dos Arroyos (Mrs. H. H. Smith), San Juan del Rio (Lébouch 1°), 
Chihuitan §, Tehuantepec city 8, Santa Kfigenia , Tonala!2, Juchitan 12 (Sumi- 
chrast), Sierra de Santo Domingo, Chimalapa (W. B. Richardson) ; GUATEMALA, 
Laguna *, Valley of the Rio Motagua (0. 8. & F. D. G.), Volcan de Fuego (Sarg, 
in Mus. Bremen); Sauvapvor, Chinandega (W. B. Richardson), Sucuya (Nutting 13) , 
Costa Rica (Carmiol), Pacuare (v. Frantzius®, Zeledon °), Liberia (Zeledon 14), 
Atenas (Loucard 1), 
