190 BULLETIN 133, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



and worked rapidly tlirougli the l)ranches of the trees. Their flight 

 was direct, and seldom high above the earth. The small wings and 

 long tail give them the appearance in the air usual in allied species. 

 The young bird taken, barely from the nest, had the inside of the 

 mouth ornamented with a series of tubercles dead white in color 

 that outlined the throat cavity in a startling manner when the 

 mouth was opened. Four lay at the angles of the pharynx, one 

 ornamented the tongue, and five somewhat less prominent were 

 found on the palate. Against a duller background their pure white 

 color stood out prominently. Such ornaments, visible only when 

 the mouth is fully opened must serve as directive markings to assist 

 the adults in placing food properly, when feeding the young. 



The 3"oung bird, not yet fully fledged, has the throat and breast 

 grayish white and the wings, tail, and dorsal surface in general with 

 a faint rufescent wash that is absent in the adults. The adult male, 

 taken April 8, had renewed all of the flight feathers save the tenth 

 primary. The adult female secured the day previous has renewed 

 all save the third and sixth primaries and some of the secondaries. 

 The female, taken December 23, had the bill black; bare skin 

 around eye hydrangea red ; iris pomegranate purple ; tarsus and toes 

 deep neutral gray ; claws black. 



COCCYZUS MELACORYPHUS (VieUlot) 



Coccysus melacoryplius Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., vol. 8, 1817, p. 271. 

 (Paraguay.) 



The present cuckoo is a thicket-haunting species found in low 

 scrub, so shy that it is difficult to observe. Near Rio Negro, Uruguay, 

 from February 14 to 19, 1920, I found these birds on their breeding 

 grounds in heavy brush that bordered streams. Here they were ob- 

 served searching for food among leafy branches from :) to 6 meters 

 from the ground, or were heard calling, a low, guttural cuh-h-hy 

 audible only a short distance awa}'. They were shy and nervous 

 and sought safer cover whenever they found that they were seen. 

 On February 15 one was seen carrying food to young, while on Feb- 

 ruary 18 two in Juvenal plumage, fully grown, were taken. Adult 

 males taken February 15 and 19 and females shot on February 14 

 and 18 are in full breeding plumage. The two young (male and 

 female), secured February 18, are slightly duller brown above than 

 adults and have the light markings on the tail diffuse and not sharply 

 delimited. The young apparently molt the retrices before the next 

 breeding season. 



At Tapia, Tucuman, two males were taken in the thickets fre- 

 quented by Micrococcyx cinereus on April 7 and 12. These, both 

 adult, are in process of molt on head, neck, and breast and are 

 renewing the quill feathers. In one molt of the primaries has begun 



