330 Lord Waklen on the Cuculidse 



to M. de Reaumur. The measurements, as given by Brisson, 

 of the two are almost identical. These dimensions are much 

 larger than those of any other species of Eudynamis. The length 

 of the bills he states respectively as 1 inch 5 lines and 16 

 lines, of the tails, 8 inches 4 lines and 8 inches, and so on. 

 These reasons may perhaps not appear conclusive of the identity 

 of the adult male C. orientalis with C. punctatus ; but it is 

 also the opinion of Dr. Cabanis*, who has studied this group 

 with gieat research. Moreover C. punctatus, L., has been re- 

 ferred by Miiller, Bonaparte, and others to either one or other 

 of the Koels inhabiting the Moluccan Islands ; and even if it 

 be not admitted that C. orientalis, L., is the adult male of C. 

 punctatus, L., there can be no doubt that it is not the Indian, 

 Cingalese, Malayan, Javan, Philippine or Australian bird — un- 

 less, indeed, we are to follow Professor Schlegel (Mus. P.-B. 

 Cuculi, pp. 16-20), and include all individuals of the genus 

 {E. melanorhyncha, MUll., excepted) under one species. 



The account of C. mindanensis, the last of the Linnsean 

 species referable to Eudynamis, is also to be found in Brisson. 

 That exact and trustworthy author described the species from 

 a specimen in M. d'Aubry's cabinet, which came from the 

 Island of Mindanao. 



During the twelve years that elapsed before Gnielin published 

 his Xlllth edition of the ' Systema Naturje,' great progress was 

 made in the discovery of new species of birds. A number of 

 authors rose on the ornithological horizon; and from their works 

 Gmelin extracted descriptions of twenty-four species (additional 

 to the Liunsean) and ten varieties belonging to the Cuculida, one 

 species of Crotophaga, and two species of the Cuculidce which he 

 erroneously classed uuder other genera, while two species referred 

 by him to Cuculus belong to other groups. But out of the 

 whole number of twenty-nine species only nine can retain 

 Gmelin's titles ; for the remainder are either duplicates, or their 



"* AVhen engaged some time ago in working out the synonymy of the 

 species belonging to the genus Hiidynamis, I arrived at the above con- 

 rlusiou before I had referred to the ' Museum Ileineanum :' and my satis- 

 faction was great on finding that Dr. Cabanis had independently adopted 

 ii similar view. 



