— 121 



From Northern Nigeria \ve hâve spécimens from Jarko (Broc- 

 ki.ebank'^ and Abeokuta (Robin). 



This untortunate cuckoo has received verv harsh treatnient as 

 regards its spécifie name bv manv ornithologists. ïhe matter was 

 cleared up satisfactorilv be Claude Grant {Ibis, 191 5, pp 417- 

 419) but again confused bv vSci.aïer and Praeo (Ibis, 19 19, pp. 

 644-645) who inadvertentlv transferred the names of the Emerald 

 and Didric Cuckoos. Hovvever, thèse authors corrected their error 

 in Ibis, 1920, p. 853. 



Van SoMEREN in N'ai'. Zool., XXIX, 1922 applied the correct 

 spécifie name to this Cuckoo but uses a svnonvm of C. caprins 

 i. e. C. auratiis Gmel. for the Emerald Cuckoo. As explained under 

 the last species the muddle is so great that I hâve written a spécial 

 article in the Novitates Zoologicae (vol. XXX) in which I hâve 

 attempted to clear the matter up. 



The question of the races of this Cuckoo has recentlv been 

 raised bv Hartert, who in N^ov. ZooL, XXVIII, 192 1, p. 100 

 contends that the Didric Cuckoo from North West Africa (Séné- 

 gal, Sierra Leone, etc.) can be easily distinguished from the 

 South African tvpical bird (Cape Colony, Transvaal, etc.) on 

 account of its smaller size. The measurements given bv Hartert 

 (for détails of which see his paper) are summarised bv him as 

 follows : apparently ail taken from Tring Muséum spécimens. 



X. W. Africa cf 108-115 9 110-117 mm. 



South Africa cf 118-121 Ç 124-125 mm. 



The measurements of British Muséum spécimens do not bear 

 ont Hartert's assertion that two races can be recognised. Mea- 

 surements of 50 spécimens show the following results : 



X. W. Africa (Upper Guiuea). cf 106-118, 9 114-115, unsexed skins 105-119. 

 South Africa cf 109-119, 9 111-122, unsexed skins 113-118. 



Localities represented from which birds were measured appear 

 to be : 



N. W. Africa (Tring Muséum) Sénégal, Sierra Leone. 



