Birds of Soitt/icrn Kawcnin. 15 



634. Cercococcyx mechowi. [Mon-Obain.] 



Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 436. 



This smaller Cuckoo with the remarkable tail closely 

 resembles in some of its call-notes the common larger Cuckoo 

 just mentioned. It also says " Za-so-foe " in a similar 

 manner, though in a higher tone of voice. I ha\e heard 

 one of these birds making this call, and uttering at the same 

 time other interpolated notes that seemed to be [jcculiar to 

 itself. It appears to imitate the call of Cuculus (jaboimnsis, 

 which in its turn seems to imitate that of C. soUtarius. 



The food of Cercococcyx consists almost exclusively of 

 caterpillars. 



637. CucuLUS GABONENSis. [Za-so-foc, or Mon-Obam.] 



Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 436. 



The note published in a previous paper (' Ibis,' 1907, 

 p. 435) about the call-notes of the common Cuckoo of this 

 country should, 1 suppose, have been under this name and 

 not " Cuculus soUtarius." Its characteristic call of " Za-so- 

 foe'' seems to fit exactly the descrijitions which I have read 

 of the call of the South- African " Piet-mijn-vrow.'' The 

 other loud excited call described in my former note I have 

 since watched a bird make while it chased another (probably 

 its mate) from branch to branch of a tree. 



A hen bird (No. 1901) had an e^^ in the oviduct just 

 ready to be laid, which got broken before it could be taken 

 out. It was not larger than the q^^ of Pycnonotus gabonensis, 

 if as large. 



[Judging from the fragments, t should say the egg appears 

 to have been of a somewhat pointed oval form and almost 

 devoid of gloss. The ground-colour is white, sparingly 

 marked, chiefly at the large end, with small spots and dots of 

 a dull purplish brown and lilac-grey.- — O.-G.] 



651. Indicator stictithorax. [Mali.] 



Sharpe, Ibis, 1907, p. 440. 



All my four specimens of this bird were obtained on 

 my collecting-trip to the heavily forested region near the 

 coast in September 1906. They were shot in the tree-tops 



