188 CUCULID.E. 



Cuckoo is found in Egypt, and examples received from South 

 Africa, though differing slightly, were considered by Le Vail- 

 lant and M. Temminck to be of the same species. 



The adult male Cuckoo has the beak bluish black, except 

 at the base, where it is pale brown ; the irides yellow ; the 

 head, neck, back, and upper tail-coverts bluish grey ; quill- 

 feathers rather darker, and the broad inner webs barred with 

 Avhite ; tail long and graduated, the middle pair of feathers 

 being the longest, and the outside feathers the shortest ; the 

 colour greyish black, tipped with white, and a few white spots 

 on the centre and sides. Chin, neck, and upper part of the 

 breast, ash grey ; lower part of breast, belly, and under wing- 

 coverts, white, barred transversely with lead grey ; vent, and 

 under tail-coverts, also white, but the dark bars are less nu- 

 merous ; legs and toes gamboge yellow. 



The whole length about fourteen inches ; from the carpal 

 joint to the end of the wing eight inches and three-quarters ; 

 the first quill-feather near three inches shorter than the 

 second, which is equal to the fourth, the third feather the 

 longest in the wing. 



The female is smaller than the male, and on her first re- 

 turn to this country has the neck barred with brown, and 

 the wings and back tinged with brown ; adult females differ 

 but little from adult males. 



Young birds of the year, when they have attained the 

 length of twelve inches, have the irides brown ; whole of the 

 upper surface of head and body barred alternately with 

 brownish red and clove brown ; quill and tail-feathers reddish 

 brown, the former barred with white, the latter spotted with 

 white in the line of the shaft of the feather : neck, breast, 

 and under parts, dull white, closely barred with dark brown. 

 Young birds about to leave the nest have the tail very short, 

 and tipped with white ; some of the feathers on the upper 

 surface of the body are also white at the end. 



