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MADAGASCAR CRESTED CUCKOW. 

 (Cuculus cristatus.) 



C. cauda rotundata, capite cristato r corpore cinereo virescente 



abdomine rufo-albo, rectricibus lateralibus apice, albis. 

 Cuckow with a rounded tail, crested head, body of a cinereous 



green, abdomen of a reddish white, and the lateral tail-feathers 



tipped with white. 

 Cuculus cristatus. Lin. Syst. Nat. 1. 171. 1Q. GmeL Syst. 



Nat. 1. 420. Lath. Ind. Orn. 1. 213. 1 0. 



Cuculus madagascarensis cristatus. Bris. 4. 149. 22. t. \1.f. 2. 

 Coucou huppe de Madagascar. Buff. PL Enl. 58Q. 

 Coua. Buff. Hist. Nat. Ois. Q. 365. 4. 1 6. 

 Madagascar crested Cuckow. Lath. Syn. 2. 522. 15. 

 Le Coua. Le Vail. Ois. d'Afr. 5. pi. 217. 



LENGTH fourteen inches: beak more than an 

 inch long, black : irides orange : head and upper 

 parts of the body of a beautiful ash-colour, in- 

 clining to green : feathers on the head long, form- 

 ing a crest : throat and fore part of the neck cine- 

 reous : lower part of the neck and breast greenish : 

 belly and sides whitish, with a rufous tinge : under 

 tail-coverts rufous white : thighs white, marked 

 with a band of light ash-colour : quills pale green, 

 with a blue and violet gloss ; beneath cinereous : 

 tail cinereous ; the lateral feathers tipped with 

 white ; the two middle tail-feathers longest : legs 

 black. 



Mr. Commerson assures us the flesh of this bird 



X 



is very good to eat, that it is frequent in the woods 

 about Fort Dauphin, and that it carries its tail 



