362 Mr. Blyth's Commentary 



is sure to be no other; again, it is the Chinese H. nisicolor 

 nobis (J. A. S. B, xxx. p, 93) j and I consider that C. flavi- 

 ventris, ScopoH (founded on Sonnerat^s Coucou a ventre rmje de 

 I' Isle de Panay), C. radiatus, Gm., H. pectoralis, Cabanis, and 

 //. hyperytlirm, Gould (B. As. pt. viii.), represent the mature 

 plumage of the same species, which should accordingly stand as 

 H. flaviventris (Scop.), from China, Philippines, Borneo, and 

 Java, being probably also that noticed from Malacca by Mr. F. 

 Moore (P. Z. S. 1859, p. 459). 



207. HlEROCOCCKX SPARVERIOIDES. 



The H. strenuus, Gould (B. As. pt. viii.), from the Philippines, 

 may yet prove to be only a remarkably fine specimen of H. 

 sparverioides, which I have repeatedly seen in Malacca collections ; 

 but I nevertheless suspect that it will turn out a distinct race : 

 the unique skin in the British Museum has unusually broad 

 tail-feathers, but it at least requires to be confirmed as a species 

 (or particular race) by the occurrence of additional specimens. 

 There is also in the British Museum the unmounted skin of an 

 adult received from Nipal, which is like H. sparverioides, but 

 conspicuously smaller, the wing measuring 7*5 inches. This 

 seems to me to exemplify even another distinct race, which I 

 will provisionally call H. nisoides. These various Hawk-like 

 Cuckoos have a nestling-plumage which considerably resembles 

 that of Accipiter, being equally distinct from that of the 

 Bhokatdko-^xoxx^, and from that of the group exemplified by 

 C. canorus^. 



* Dr. Jerdon and I went carefully over an extensive series of Indian 

 Cuckoos, and we quite agreed as to the species. I have since examined 

 many other collections, inclusive of those in the British Museum, India 

 Museum, the Derby Museum of Liverpool, the private collection of Mr. 

 Wallace, and others, and find no reason to modify the opinions attained in 

 Calcutta, except as regards the nomenclature in a few instances, which is 

 now sufficiently in accordance with that adopted by Prof. Schlegel. 



The different races of Hierococcyx appear to me to be quite as distinct 

 as are the different admitted species of Tetraogallus, Satyra, Phasianus, or 

 Perdix cinerea, P. barbata, and P. hodgsonice, and therefore to have just 

 the same claim to be separately recognized. Of the considerable num- 

 ber of specimens that I have examined, I do not perceive that the different 

 races of Ilawk-like Cuckoos run into each other, and therefore I feel some 



