THE BIRDS OF NORTHERN THAILAND 163 



Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., 1928, p. 168) were taken on May 6 and July 15, 

 1924, at Huai Mae Tha Khwae and Tha Chang Tai, respectively. 



On the hills this bird occurs in deciduous forest and at the edge of 

 light evergreen; in the cultivated lowlands it keeps to fruit gardens 

 and copses. Like the following form, it loves to perch upon telephone 

 wires, and I have frequently seen it along the line that runs up Doi 

 Suthep to the Phrathat. Just before the species disappears in March 

 there is a noticeable increase in numbers, as birds arrive from the 

 South, and at this season I have occasionally heard the song, which 

 may be described as that of the short-winged cuckoo in the voice of 

 the plaintive cuckoo. 



My specimens had the irides with a gray outer, dull brown inner 

 ring (males) or wholly bright brown (females) ; the maxilla black; 

 the mandible horny gray, tipped blackish; the rictus and interior 

 of the mouth salmon ; the feet and toes greenish slate ; the soles yellow ; 

 the claws horny brown. 



This species has the entire upperparts closely barred with blackish 

 brown and rufous; the entire underparts white with fine, wavy bars 

 of blackish brown. 



CACOMANTIS MERULINUS QUERULUS Heine 



Burmese Plaintive Cuckoo 



Cacomantis querulus Heine, Journ. fur Orn., vol. 11, 1863, p. 352. New name 

 for Polijphasia tenuirostris "Gray" Jerdon, 1862 ("in Lower Bengal, and in all 

 the countries to the East, as Assam, Sylhet, Burmah, and even so far as 

 China"), not Cuculus tenuirostris Gray 1834, which= Cuculus passerinus 

 Vahl 1797. 



Cacomantis merulinus querulus, Gyldenstolpe, Journ. Nat. Hist. Soc. Siam, 

 1915, p. 232 (listed); Ibis, 1920, p. 593 ("Perhaps northern Siam").— de 

 Schauensee, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1928, p. 573 (Chiang Mai) ; 

 1929, p. 570 (Chiang Mai) ; 1934, p. 257 (Chiang Mai).— Deignan, Journ. 

 Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., 1931, p. 159 (Chiang Mai) ; 1936, p. 87 (Chiang 

 Mai).— Riley, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 172, 1938, p. 126 (Phrae). 



The plantive cuckoo will probably be found at some time of the 

 year anywhere in our provinces. An undated specimen in Stockholm 

 was taken by Eisenhofer at Khun Tan. The bird from Phrae, re- 

 corded by Riley, was collected April 10. I have examples from Chom 

 Thong, November 9, and Ban Bo Kaeo, April 3. 



In 1936 1 published some remarks on the status of the bird at Chiang 

 Mai, which may be repeated here : "On 27 February (1930, 1931, 1932), 

 it appears in numbers and thereafter can be heard singing everywhere 

 in the lowlands until mid-June. During the rains its numbers de- 

 crease until by September it has become a rare bird ; between September 

 and the following February it is recorded only about once a month, 

 except in November, when it seems to be completely absent. Imma- 

 ture birds are very seldom seen." 



