IS THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



authority from the great body of zoologists in the country where 

 they are put forth. Thus we have the British code, called the 

 Stricklandian, from the moving spirit of its publisher. Then we 

 have the American, the French, and the German, all agreeing in 

 the main, but differing in details, and each difference leading to 

 confusion. At present no agreement has been arrived at, but 

 the confusion must be put a stop to, and an attempt is to be 

 made. In the meanwhile the German zoologists are bringing out 

 a work known as Das TJderreich, which is to include a description 

 of every known species of animal, and they propose that from 

 that there shall be no appeal, for priority further back than that 

 will be disregarded. 



Those who wish to know more of the difficulties which hedge 

 round the question of zoological nomenclature, may consult a 

 paper by Dr. Sclater, which appeared in the "Proceedings of the 

 Zoological Society of London" for 1S96, and wiiich contains 

 references to the principal literature. 



NOTES ON THE SQUARE-TAII,EU CUCKOO. 

 By A. J. Campbell. 

 fRead he/ore the Field Naturalists'' Gluh of Victoria, 9th May. 1898.^ 

 There has been some little confusion about the identity of the 

 Square-tailed Cuckoo, Cuculus variolosus, Horsf It now appears 

 that both Gould's C. insperatus and C. dumetoruvi are none 

 other than the original C. variolosus of Dr. Florsfield, therefore 

 the bird, in the season, ranges over Australia, thinning out in 

 numbers as the southern seaboard is approached. 



At first sight this cuckoo may be easily mistaken for the 

 familiar Fantailed Cuckoo, (J. Jiabelliformis, but differs from that 

 bird by its decidedly smaller size and more square-shaped tail, 

 which is also destitute of the white markings on the outer webs of 

 the feathers. 



The Square-tailed, or, as it has been more commonly calleil, 

 the Brush Cuckoo, may also be recognized by its peculiar song — 

 a few melancholy, jerky notes, ending abruptly, as if the strain 

 were suddenly interrupted or the songster had received some 

 kind of a shock in the middle of its song. The egg of this cuckoo 

 is exceedingly suggestive of those of the Myiagra type of Fly- 

 catchers. 



Dr. T. P. Lucas was the first collector who discovered this 

 strange cuckoo's egg, which he took when in company with his 

 brother, Mr. A. S. H. Lucas, from the nest of the White-shafted 

 Fantail, near Box Hill, Victoria, New Year's Day, 1884. But 

 Dr. Lucas unfortunately discounted his discovery by describing 

 the strange egg as that of the Black-eared Cuckoo, Miscoculus 

 palliolatus, see Victorian Naturalist, February, 18S4. 



