5.2 Ool. R. Meinertzhagen on. Bhrls from [Ibis, 



CUCULU8 CANORUS. 



Cuculus canorus canorus L. 



All Eoyptian passage migrants which 1 have examined are 

 o£ this race. Of four East African winter visitors, one ob- 

 tained on G. xi. is of this race, whilst three others are 

 telephonus. Five Palestine birds obtained on autumn passage 

 in August are also telephonus. 



A red female (" hepat/cns ") was obtained in Egypt on 

 9.V. Whereas the normal C'uckoo obviously mimics the 

 plumage of the Sparrow-Hawk, the red variety equally 

 obviousl}' mimics the Kestrel. Is this a case of initial 

 evolution in a (Juckoo which finds it more convenient to 

 resemble the Kestrel instead of the Sparrow-Hawk, and 

 which perhaps breeds in a district where the Kestrel is 

 connnon and the Sparrow-Hawk unknown ? These red 

 varieties are so far only known in the females, to which of 

 course such mimicry would bo more useful than it would be 

 to males. 



I believe there is no autumn record of the C-uckoo in 

 Cyprus, though a few are believed to breed there. 



Birds have all left Armenia by 18. viii. They stream 

 through Palestine, the first passage migrants, all adults, 

 being seen about 8.vii. They were common by 28. vii. and 

 scarce by 30. viii., the last seen being on 14. ix. Immature 

 birds only passed during the last days of August. 



The earliest autumn record for Egypt is on 19. vii., but 

 the bulk pass between .5. ix. and 23. ix. 



Adults obtained in northern Somalihuid on 30. viii. and 

 18. ix., and in south-west Arabia on 6. ix. In the Sudan 

 they are said to arrive in large flights about 13. ix. in a very 

 exhausted condition, but do not remain durino- the wint(u-. 



In tropical eastern Africa my first record is on 29. vii. 

 in Uganda and another on 26. viii. at Korogwe in north-east 

 Tanganyika Territory. But they do not arrive in anv 

 numbers till October, when they are spread all over the 

 country, remaining the winter. 



A fe"\v, usually immature birds, reach IJliodesiain January, 

 the Transvaal in December and January. In Portuguese 



