IN WESTERN LIBERIA. 223 



the black shafts of the fully adult stage. Might there not 

 be concluded by analogy that the same will be the case 

 with the green-glossed C. senegalensis and the blue-glossed 

 C. monachus , which latter would then turn out , as Schlegel 

 and others already suggested , to be the fully adult C. se- 

 negalensis ? 



It is now , after all , very estonishing that the afore 

 mentioned nestling, whose feathers on the forehead , throat, 

 abdomen and tail are just making their appearance, has 

 its feathers on head and neck entirely greenish black , 

 without being intermixed with any brown based or enti- 

 rely brown ones. The shafts are glossy black , those of the 

 neck with two white speckles each. Having no more material 

 fit to help me in resolving this question , I cannot but 

 imagine that in the male nestlings the greenish black plu- 

 mage on head and neck will be developed at once, whilst these 

 parts in the females would first be fulvous brown , turning 

 afterwards into greenish black and finally acquire the steel- 

 blue gloss of the adult bird. Having called the attention 

 of Mr. Stampfli upon this subject I shall , as I hope , 

 soon be able to dispose of a number of specimens, suffi- 

 cient to settle this interesting question. 



The habits of this and the following species have been so re- 

 peatedly spoken of that I have nothing to add , except that the 

 nest with the above mentioned young bird was found in high 

 grass amongst brushwood , about a foot above the ground. It is 

 very voluminous and consists of carelessly heaped up grass 

 and reed-leaves. It was found the Q^^ of December and 

 contained two nestlings , which we tried to keep alive , but 

 one got lost the same day , and the other died a few days 

 afterwards. 



Iris of the nearly adult bird red , of the nestling grayish 

 brown, bill black, feet bluish gray. 



C ent r opus senegalensis. 

 Cuculus senegalensis, Linn. Syst. Nat. I. p. 169. 



Notes from tlie Leyden ÜMuseum , "Vol. "VU. 



