112 CUCULUS CANORUS. 



The wings are long, straight, and pointed, with twenty quills ; 

 the primaries tapering and rounded ; the first about two-thirds 

 of the length of the second, the third longest, the fourth next, 

 the second a little longer than the fifth, the rest graduated ; 

 the secondaries rather short, broad, the outer abrupt, the rest 

 obliquely rounded, with a very short acumen. The tail is long, 

 straight, broad, graduated, of twelve feathers, the outer an inch 

 and a quarter shorter than the next, whch is eight twelfths 

 of an inch shorter than the longest. 



Length to end of tail 14 inches; extent of wings 23; bill 

 along the ridge j?j, along the edge of lower mandible 1^ ; wing 

 from flexure S/^ ; tail 6^^ ; tarsus | ; first toe ^*|, its claw j% ; 

 second toe ^"1, its claw j% ; third toe j%, its claw i| ; fourth 

 toe j%, its claw ^\. 



The bill is greyish-black, the basal margins and part of the 

 lower mandible orange. The bare margins of the eyelids are 

 gamboge yellow ; the iris orange. The tarsus and toes are 

 orange, the claws ochre yellow. The general colour of the upper 

 parts is bluish-grey, lighter on the head, tinged with green on 

 the back and wings, more blue on the rump. The quills are 

 dusky brown, their outer webs tinged with grey ; the inner 

 webs of the primaries marked with oblong transverse white 

 bands. The tail is greyish-black, glossed with green, the 

 feathers tipped, and along the shafts and inner edges spotted 

 with white. The throat and fore part of the neck are light 

 ash-grey ; the breast and sides white, transversely barred with 

 brownish-black, each feather having three bars ; the lower 

 tail-coverts yellowish-white, and similarly barred ; the abdomen 

 with faint bars. The concealed part of the plumage is light 

 ash-grey. 



Female. — There is no such difference between the male and 

 the female as to colour or size as could enable one to decide 

 the sex of an individual without opening it. The brown tints 

 and reddish markings alleged by Montagu and others to be 

 peculiar to the female, occur in both sexes only in their earlier 

 years. 



Length to end of tail 13| inches ; extent of wings 23 ; wing 



