1869.] BY LENN^^FS AND GMELIN. 59 



sought after by those natives who, not over nice, are rich enough to pay for a " Cuil," which is 

 always sold at a high price. He goes on to quote, from the ' Essais philosophiques sur les mceurs 

 de divers animaux etrangers,' this native proverb, " C'est un grand bien de manger le cuil, niais 

 un grand peche de la foire tuer." Stephens accounts for the superstition by supposing that it is 

 because this bird " feeds on reptiles of the more noxious kinds and insects." Some of the Indian 

 correspondents of ' The Ibis ' will perhaps let us know how much of all this we are to believe- 

 Recent authors maintain that the Koel is frugivorous. 



There can be no doubt, after reading Brisson's description, that the bird Poivre figured was 

 either a female or a young male of the common Indian Eiulynamis. Brisson, moreover, states Ibis, ]S09, 

 that the inhabitants of Malabar call this bird " Cuil." 



The specimen which Edwards figured in his 59th plate, and on which Linnteus founded 

 C, scolopaceus, came from Bengal, and was lent to Edwards by Mr. Daudridge, of Moorfields. 

 I find some difficulty in identifying it. Dr. Cabanis (Mus. Hein. iv. p. 49) refers it without 

 hesitation to the female of the Indian Koel ; and I would gladly concur if the account and 

 figure given by Edwards left no doubt on the matter. But that author's description is so vague 

 that it may be applied with more or less probability to other species of Cuckoos known to inhabit 

 Bengal. The plate represents a bird of a general rufous or bay colour, while in the description 

 the body-colour is stated to be brown. The figure will pass for any Cuckoo in the hepatic 

 phase of plumage ; on the other hand the bill, as figured and described, most nearly agrees 

 with that of the Koel. The reasons Edwards gives for not regarding Mr. Daudridge's bird as 

 the same as C. canorus only increase our difficulty : — " This bird being more like the common 

 Cuckoo than the others here described*, it may be thought the same by slight observers of 

 nature, so it will be proper to observe in what they chiefly disagree. First it is less by a full 

 third part, though, by reason of the superior length of the tail, this bird is an inch or more 

 longer than the common Cuckoo ; that is white, with regular continued transverse lines, on 

 the under side, from the breast downward ; this hath the belly and under side white mixed 

 with orange and sprinkled with black spots : that hath bright gold-coloured legs ; this hath 

 them of a dirty yellow, rather inclining to green ; but I am more certainly convinced, who have 

 seen and compared the birds together, than another can be by my persuading him to be of my 

 opinion : the tail-feathers of the common [Cuckoo] are tipped with white, but in this there 

 is no appearance of it." If a Eudynamis, it would seem unnecessary to prove that it is not the 

 same as C. canorus. Mr. Gray (Gen. B. App. p. 42) refers Edwards's 59th plate to Eadynamis 

 orienfalis, meaning the common Indian Koel. jj. j^ -j^g^g 



C. nif/er, L., offers less difficulty. The type was likewise supplied to Edwards by Mr. Daud- p. 320. 

 ridge, who obtained it from Bengal, " where it is called in the country language Cukeel." 

 It is thus described : — " The head, body, wings, and tail are covered in every part with 



deep black feathers, without any mark or spot of other colours ; the feathers have a shining 



lustre on them." This can only apply to the Koel ; and in this identification I am happy to agree 

 with Dr. Cabanis (/. c), who was the first to point out the " ungliicklicher Missgrifi"" of Mr. Blyth 

 in identifjing C. tenidrostrisf, J. E. Gray (111. Ind. Zool. ii. t. 34. f. i., 1833), with it. 



* Namely, C. persd, L., C. ijlandarius, L., and C. nifjcr, L. 



t Puhjpliasia nijra, Jerdon (B. Ind. i. p. 333), -wliich must stand as Cacomaniis fasseriims (Yalil, Skr. Nat. Selsk. iv. 



i2 



