24 ALLEN S NATURALISTS LIBRARY. 



southwards in the autumn, while in some of the tropical coun- 

 tries the species remain all the year round. 



I. THE COMMON CUCKOO. CUCULUS CANORUS. 



Cuculus aiJionis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 165 (1766); Macgill 

 Br. B. iii. p. 109 (1840) ; Newt. ed. Yarr. Evit. B. ii. p 

 387 (1880); Dresser, B. Eur. v. p. 199, pi. 299 (1878) 

 B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 83 (1883) ; Seebohm, Br. B. ii. p 

 378 (1884) ; Saunders, Man. p. 277 (1889) ; Shelley, Cat 

 B. Brit. Mus. xix. p. 245 (1891); Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. B 

 pt. xviii. (1891). 



(Plate XXX III.) 

 Adult Male. — General colour above leaden-grey, with a slight 

 greenish gloss, the upper tail-coverts with white edges and bars; 

 quills dark brown, with white notches on the inner webs ; tail- 

 feathers slaty-black, with white ends ; on each side of the shaft 

 twin spots of white, the inner webs notched with white, but no 

 complete bars across the feathers ; sides of face and throat 

 rather lighter grey than the head ; remainder of under surface 

 of body white, regularly barred with black, with a tinge of l)uff 

 on the abdomen and under tail-coverts ; axillaries and under 

 wing-coverts barred with black ; bill black, light yellow at the 

 base of the lower mandible ; feet yellow ; iris yellow. Total 

 length, 14 inches ; culmen, 0-9 ; wing, 8-9 ; tail, 7*0; tarsus, o*8. 



Adult Female. — Similar to the male, but a trifle smaller, and 

 distinguished by the rufous shade on the fore-neck. Total 

 length, 12*5 inches; wing, 8"3. 



Young. — Very different from the adults. Dark brown or 

 ashy-brown, barred with rufous, and with a white edging to 

 the feathers, producing a strongly mottled appearance ; on the 

 back of the neck a white spot ; under surface of body buffy- 

 white, barred with blackish-brown, more broadly on the throat ; 

 tail barred with rufous. 



There is also a rufous or "hepatic" phase of plumage in the 

 Cuckoo, w4iich appears to be confined to the young birds only. 

 In this plumage the general aspect of the bird is tawny-rufous 

 or cinnamon, barred with blackish, the bars less distinct or 

 forming only spots on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; tail- 

 feathers rufous, tipped with white, before which is a sub- 



