RESPECTABLE CUCKOOS 13 



and is of a domed form, with two openings, through 

 one of which the head of the female protrudes while 

 sitting, and her tail through the other.' On the other 

 hand, the Southern Chinese coucal, which Swinhoe 

 declares to be identical with ours, goes a step further, 

 and gets rid of the dome altogether." 



Young crow-pheasants are of exceptional interest. 

 Three distinct varieties have been described. In some 

 the plumage is barred throughout. Jerdon supposed 

 that these are all young females. Other young birds 

 are like dull-coloured adults ; these are smaller than 

 the barred forms, and sometimes progress by a series 

 of hops, instead of adopting the strut so characteristic 

 of the species. These dull-coloured birds are very wild, 

 whereas the barred ones are usually easily tamed. 

 This interesting fact was pointed out by Mr. Frank 

 Finn in his delightful volume Ornithological and Other 

 Oddities. Jerdon regards these as young cocks. The 

 third variety is coloured exactly like the adult. Finn 

 does not accept Jerdon's view, for, as he points out, 

 the three forms differ in habits, and the barred and 

 dull-coloured forms do not appear to occur in the same 

 brood ; the young in any given nest are either all barred, 

 or all dull-coloured, or all like the adults in colour. 

 So that if the barred and dull-plumaged birds represent 

 different sexes, then all the individuals of a brood must 

 be of the same sex. Instances of this phenomenon 

 have been recorded, but they appear to be very rare. 

 Finn therefore thinks that the three varieties of young 

 correspond to three races. In this connection it is of 

 interest to note that Hume divided this species into 



