172 CUCULID.E 



some gigantic ant heaps, and afterwards found its stomach con- 

 tained only termites. Major Sparrow of the 7th Dragoon Guards 

 informs me that he recently found four young birds of this species in 

 a hole in a branch of a fig- tree at Waschbank in Natal, on Nov. 7th. 



Suborder VI. COCCYGES. 



Plantar tendons Galline, i.e., as in Passeres, but connected by 

 a vinculum so that the flexor longus hallucis supplies the hallux 

 only, and the flexor perforans digitorum leads to the second, third, 

 and fourth digits (fig. 26, p. 2) ; palate desmognathous ; ambiens 

 muscle present. 



Family 1. CUCULID^E. 



Bill of varying shape ; wings with ten primaries ; feet zygo- 

 dactyle, the first and fourth toes directed backwards ; tail feathers 

 ten in number (except in some American genera) ; habits generally 

 parasitic. 



Anatomical characters, are : caeca present ; both carotids present ; 

 contour feathers without after-shaft ; oil gland present but nude. 



FIG. 57. Left foot of Cuculus gularis, toes numbered, x \. 



Cuckoos are distributed all over the world though most numerous 

 in tropical countries ; they vary greatly in habits and nidification, 

 some being parasitic in this respect, others building nests for 

 themselves. 



