Avifauna of New Caledonia. 523 



[The eggs are decidedly larger than Australian specimens 

 of C. lucidus, besides being of a deeper chocolate-brown. — 

 H. B. T.] 



42. EuDYXAMis TAiTExsiSj Sparrm. 



This Cuckoo eWdently breeds with us^ but is very rare ; we 

 have only obtained four specimens, two of which exhibited 

 nestling-plumes. They were all purchased in the streets of 

 Noumea ; and no one seemed to know what they were. They 

 were shot in the neighbourhood : — the first, ]\larch 23rd, 1879 ; 

 the second, 15th March, 1881 ; and two others April 15th, 

 1881. It is probable therefore that they are migrants visit- 

 ing us for breeding-purposes about Christmas. 



Bill, upper mandible dark horn, lower light horn ; legs and 

 feet yellow, with greenish scales ; iris drab. 



This species is included by M. Marie in his list as procured 

 by him. 



43. Chalcites lucidus (Gmel.). 



This little bronze Cuckoo is found pretty generally dis- 

 tributed, but is decidedly rare. We shot a female with a 

 large shelless e^^ on the 23rd of August ; and a young friend 

 killed a very young bird, but able to fly, on the 16th of 

 November. 



We watched one for some time darting at its prey on the 

 underside of leaves. On shooting and dissecting it we found 

 its stomach crammed with small green caterpillars. It is a 



on reference to Gould's ' Birds of Australia ' to find that they accord 

 better with the description given therein of the e^^s of the little '• Bronze 

 Cuckoo," Chalcites lucichts, and that the eggs of the other Cuckoos of the 

 genus Cacomantis, in which our large Cuckoo is sometimes classed, are of 

 a pale groimd, spotted with a darker colour. We did not see the parent 

 bird laying the eggs we have described ; they maij therefore belong to 

 the lesser species ; but to our minds the probability is all the other way. 

 C. hronzimis is very common where the eggs were found, C. lucidus is very 

 rare — so rare that our friends did not know of its existence tiU one was 

 shot by one of the youngsters, to whom we lent our little gun to procure 

 specimens for us. Having sent the eggs to om- friend Canon Tristram, 

 with these Xotes, he will be able, by comparing them with well -authen- 

 ticated Q^^i^, to decide the question. 



