116 MEGALAIMID.E. 



Gen. Xantholsema. — Bonap. 



Bill short and wide; 2nd quill longest. 



Xantholsema hsemacepliala, Mull. P. i/. 331 d 746-2 ; Lcvail 

 Barb. t. 35; Marshall, Capit. pi. Eume,^ 8tr. F. i. p. 453; iii. p. 77. 

 Xantholeema indicus, Lat/i. Jerd. B. Ind. i. p. 315, No. 197 ; Murray, 

 Hdbk., Zool., Sf'c, Sind, p. 131. — The Ceimson-breasted Barbet. 



Forehead and forecrown bright crimson ; throat and round the eyes 

 pale sulphur yellow ; pectoral gorget glistening crimson, edged below 

 with an arrow of rich golden yellow ; moustachial streak continued 

 round the throat above the crimson pectoral oorget, and on the crown 

 of the head, black ; back and wing-coverts green, more or less 

 margined yellowish; primaries and secondaries greenish; the inner 

 webs dusky brown and margined with dull white ; tail greenish, tinged 

 with blue ; beneath, the abdomen, vent and under tail-coverts fulvous 

 or greenish white> streaked with green ; bill black • irides hazel ; 

 orbitar skin dull crimson ; legs coral red. 



Hah. — India generally ; Burmah, Malayana, Ceylon, Nepanl, Tenas- 

 serim and Upper Pegu ; Punjab, N. W. Provinces and Oudh. Occurs 

 in Kutch, Kattiawar and Jodhpore, and probably in North Guzerat also. 

 In Sind it is rare, and occurs as a visitor in September and October, 

 affecting the acacia forests. 



Family, CUCULID^, Zeflc7(.— Cuckoos. 



Bill rather slender and compressed, curved above, tip scooped; 

 nostrils in a membranous groove ; wings long; tail rounded. 



Sub-Family, CUCULIN^. 



Tarsi short, feathered and scaled ; bill broad, flattened at base. 

 Gen. Cuculus. — Lin. 



3rd quill longest ; two outer feathers of tail shortest ; tarsi feathered 

 below the knee; outer front toe longest, united at base to the inner toe. 



Cuculus canorus, Linn. P. E. 811; Nauru, voqt. t. 127-129; Gould. 

 B. Eu. pi. 240; Jerd. i. p. 322, No. 199; Eume, *SYr. i^. iv. 288 ; 

 Murray, Hdhlc, Zool., c^'c, Sind, p. 131. — The European Cuckoo. 



Head and upper parts dark ash}^, ashy, or pale blue ; breast and 

 belly white, elegantly crossed with wavy bars of black; the quills 

 are dusky, their inner Avebs marked with large oval white spots ; tail 

 long, the two middle feathers black with Avhite tips, the others dusky, 

 with alternate spots of white on each side of the shaft; legs short, 

 yellow ; bill black, yellowish at base beneath ; orbits and irides deep 

 yellow. 



Length. — 14 inches, wing 8-75 to 9, tail 7, bill at front 0-75. 



Hah. — Europe, N. Africa, China, Formosa, Beloochistau, Persia, 

 S. Afghanistan, Eastern Turkistan, and India generally ; Nepaul, 

 Burmah, Ceylon, Upper Pegu, and throughout Western, Central, 



