of the Gc/rMS Eudynamis. 345 



breuses du Cuculus orientalis, repaudues depuis I'Hindoustan, 

 jusqu'aux Philippines, a la Nouvelle Guiuee et I'Australie.'^ 



The black colour of a bill in this instance is admitted as a 

 character of sufficient value to raise its possessor to the rank of 

 a species, while characters of equal importance, as well defined 

 and as persistent, are rejected in other members of the genus. 

 If all the individuals inhabiting the vast region mentioned by 

 the learned Professor did not differ, the restriction of this black- 

 billed species to so limited an area would certainly be interesting, 

 almost equal in interest to the fact of a yellow-billed. Centi-opus, 

 C. chloro7-hynchus, Blyth, dwelling in a limited part of the Island 

 of Ceylon, and there only, alongside of the widely distributed 

 C. rufipennis, Illig. But if we allow, when discriminating species, 

 other characters to have their weight, besides the mere colour of 

 the bill, E. rtielanorhijncha only ojffers an instance of local restric- 

 tion such as we find in many islands and even on continents. 



The plumage of the female and young male in this species is, 

 as in all the species of the genus, very remarkable and cha- 

 racteristic. In one individual the upper plumage is of deep 

 chocolate-brown striated with black. In another, from Menado, 

 in Mr. Gould's possession, the whole of the upper surface of the 

 head, nape, wings, tail, and the back is dull olive-green, with a 

 subdued sheen. Chin, throat, and cheeks dull smoky brown ; 

 remainder of under surface and the under wing-coverts fulvescent 

 rufous, each feather crossed by two or three irregular narrow 

 black lines. From the angle of the mouth a slender whitish line 

 descends down the sides of the neck, sharply separating the 

 fuliginous throat from the olive-green head and nape. 



9. EuDYNAMis FACIALIS, Wallace, P. Z. S. 1862, p. 339, "Sula 

 Islands." 



The only example of this species as yet obtained is the type- 

 specimen in Mr. Wallace's possession. It is possible that the 

 white of the forehead and throat is not constant ; but the shorter 

 and differently shaped bill and smaller dimensions of the Sula 

 bird are quite sufficient to distinguish it from the Celebes Koel. 

 Judging by analogy, the females of the two species will certainly 

 possess distinctive characteristics. 



