412 CUCULID^E. 



Tenasserim. It is found throughout the Himalayas and during winter in 

 South India on the Neilgherries. It also occurs at Darjeeling. From the 

 Neilgherries Mr. Davison is said to have obtained an egg from Mr. R. Morgan, 

 which was perfectly white and moderately glossy. The question whether Hawk 

 Cuckoos build their own nests is yet in doubt. Mr. Morgan (Hume) says he 

 watched the bird build the nest and had then taken the eggs, which were four 

 in number. Mr. Hodgson, however, attributes to them the habits of the Cuckoos, 

 which lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. 



993. Hierococcyx varius ( VakL), Jerd., B. Jnd. \. p. 329, No. 329. 



The COMMON HAWK CUCKOO. 



Upper parts uniform ash grey, darker on the wings and their coverts ; fore- 

 neck and breast pale rufous, the feathers greyish mesially ; abdomen and 

 flanks white, barred with grey and rufous ; vent and under tail coverts white, 

 tail grey, tipped with white, crossed with 5 6 narrow undulating bands ; 

 and a broad dusky subterminal one ; quills barred with white on their inner 

 webs ; chin white ; throat greyish. Bill dusky ; lower mandible yellowish ; 

 irides gamboge yellow. 



Length. 13 to 13-5 inches ; tail 675 ; wing 7 ; bill at front O'8. 



Hab. Northern and Southern India, Bengal, and Ceylon ; affects gardens, 

 groves, avenues, &c. Lives like its congeners on caterpillars and other insects. 



994. HieroCOCCyX nanUS, Hume, Str. F. v. p. 490; Hume and 

 Dav., Str. F. vi. pp. 157, 502; Hume, Sir. F. viii. p. 88; Gates, B. Br. 

 Burm. ii. p. 510. HUME'S HAWK CUCKOO. 



The whole of the lower parts are white, tinged creamy on the lower throat 

 and breast, and more feebly so on the middle of the abdomen and tibial 

 plumes ; all these parts with conspicuous black central stripes ; chin, 

 upper throat and lower tail coverts pure unmarked white ; forehead, crown, 

 occiput and nape deep brownish slaty; sides of the neck ferruginous, the 

 feathers dark centred ; nape similar, but the feathers feebly margined with 

 pale ferruginous, and one or two of the feathers on each side white-tipped ; 

 entire mantle, wings and back deep brown ; the feathers, some of them, very 

 obscurely margined with dull ferruginous (showing that the birds are not 

 quite adult), and spots of the same colour pn the outer webs of the quills ; the 

 inner webs, except towards the tips of the primaries, with broad triangular 

 buffy white bars, coalescing at the margin towards the bases of the feathers ; 

 tail tipped with sordid white, then an O f 8 subterminal blackish band, then an 

 0-6 to O*8 pale grey-brown interspace; the next succeeding 0-5 blackish-brown 

 band, cuspidate on its lower margin, then an 0*5 pale interspace, then an O'45 

 dark bar, also cuspidate, on the lower margin, then an O'5 interspace, and 

 then another dark bar ; the whole of which, as well as half of the last inter- 

 space, hidden by the upper tail coverts ; the entire wing-lining and edge of the 

 wing at the carpal joint uniform cream colour. (Hume.) Irides brown ; the 



