414 CUCUUD^E. 



dark brown, tipped with white, the central feathers notched with white on hoth 

 webs, the others barred with white on the inner webs ; lower breast, abdomen, 

 vent, under tail coverts, sides of the body and under wing coverts rufous 

 which in some males extend up to the throat. The female has the whole 

 upper plumage, wing coverts and tail ferruginous, closely barred with black, 

 lower plumage rufescent white, closely and finely barred with brown. Young 

 birds are like the females, but the head, neck, throat and breast are streaked 

 and not barred with brown. Bill dark horny on the upper mandible, brownish 

 orange on the lower; irides reddish brown. (Oates.) 



Length. 9 inches; tail 4*9; wing 4*4; tarsus 07; bill from gape O'Q. 



Had. The Indo-Burmese countries to Bengal. Found abundantly over 

 the whole Province of Burmah. 



997. Cacomantis nigra, Jerd., Ms, ii. 1872, Plate i ; Jerd., B. 



2nd. i. p. 333. The INDIAN PLAINTIVE CUCKOO. 



Adult uniform dark ashy above, glossed with green ; beneath pale ashy ; 

 vent and under tail coverts white ; quills dusky, with a broad white band on 

 the inner web of each feather; tail blackish, except the middle pair, all the 

 feathers banded and tipped with white. Bill blackish, red at base beneath and 

 at the gape; feet reddish yellow; irides ruby red or brownish red. (Jerd.} 



Length. 9 inches ; tail 4-5 ; wing 4-5 ; bill at front o - 6 ; tarsus o'6. 



Had. Nearly all over India in moist and woody colmtries. Abundant on 

 the Malabar Coast, in the Wynaad, and the warmer slopes of the Neilgherries; 

 rare in the Carnatic ; on the eastern ghauts here and there; also in Central 

 India, Lower Bengal, *up to the foot of the N.-W. Himalayas. Common in 

 Ceylon. Breeds on the Neilgherries in the nests of Drymoipus inornalus, 

 the Common Wren Warbler, during September. The eggs, according to 

 Hume, are elongated ovals, occasionally more or less cylindrical. The shell is 

 fine and smooth. The ground colour is a delicate pale greenish blue, 

 blotched and spotted towards the large end with reddish or purplish brown and 

 pale reddish purple. Size 078 to cr8i x 0-53 to 0-57. 



Gen. SurniCUlUS- Lesson. 



Plumage black ; tail even or forked ; outermost feathers short, the penulti- 

 mate slightly the longest, and each lateral half curling outwards towards the 

 tip ; otherwise as in Cacomantis. (Jerd.) 



998. SurniCUlUS lugubriS (Horsf.), Salvad, Ucc. Born. 179, 

 p. 63; Blyth and Wald., B. Burm. p. 80 ; Hume and Dav., Sir. F. vi. 

 p. 159 ; Anders., Yunnan Exped. p. 587; Legge, B. Ceylon, p. 243 ; Hume, 

 Str. F. viii. p. 89; Oates, B. Br. Burm. ii. p. 112. Cuculus lugubris, 

 Horsf., Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 179. Pseudornis dicruroides, Hodgs., J. A. 

 S. B. viii. p. 136. Surniculus dicruroides, Jerd.> B. Ind. i. p. 336, No. 210. 

 The BLACK FORK-TAILED CUCKOO. 



