108 BIRDS OF BRITISH BURMAH. 



Genus HIEROCOCCYX, Mutter. 



492. HIEROCOCCYX SPARVEEIOIDES. 



THE LARGE HAWK-CUCKOO. 



Cuculus sparverioides, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 173 ; David et Oust. Ois. Chine, 

 p. 63. Hierococcyx sparverioides, Jerd. B. 2nd. i. p. 331 ; Hume, Nests and 

 Eggs, p. 135 ; 1. B. Burm. p. 79 ; Hume, S. F. iii. p. 80 ; Armstrong, S. F. 

 iv. p. 311 ; Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi. p. 157 ; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 89: Scully, S. F. 

 viii. p. 256. Cuculus strenuus, Gould, Birds Asia, pt. viii. 



Description. Male and female. Chin, forehead, crown, nape, sides of 

 the head and neck and hind neck deep ashy; back,, scapulars, wing-coverts 

 and tertiaries brown ; primaries and secondaries brown, banded with white 

 on the inner webs ; rump and upper tail-coverts ashy brown, the latter 

 cross-barred darker and tipped paler ; tail grey, with four broad cross bars 

 of dark brown, contiguous to each of which is a narrow pale rufous bar ; 

 another subterminal rufous bar about an inch broad, and each feather with 

 a pale rufous tip ; throat white, more or less streaked with ashy ; breast 

 ferruginous, with pale ashy shaft-stripes ; abdomen, sides of the body and 

 under wing-coverts white barred with brown ; vent and under tail-coverts 

 pure white. 



The young bird has the forehead and crown ashy ; the nape and hind 

 neck rufous streaked with brown ; the whole remaining upper plumage 

 brown barred with rufous ; wings barred on both webs with rufous ; tail 

 much as in the adult; chin ashy; throat and breast pale buff, boldly 

 streaked with brown ; abdomen very narrowly and interruptedly barred 

 with brown. As the bird gets older, the bars below become more defined 

 and the rufous above disappears. 



Gape and edges of the eyelids yellow ; legs deep yellow ; claws pale 

 yellow ; upper mandible dark brown, lower chiefly greenish ; iris yellow. 



Length 16 inches, tail 9, wing 9, tarsus 1, bill from gape T4. The 

 female is smaller. 



The Large Hawk-Cuckoo is found over the whole of Pegu and probably 

 the whole of Arrakan. Mr. Davison met with it in Tenasserim as far 

 south as Amherst, and Capt. Bingham observed it in the Thoungyeen 

 valley. Capt. Wardlaw Ramsay procured it in Karennee at 4000 feet 

 elevation. 



It extends through the Indo-Burmese countries and is spread over a 

 considerable portion of India. It is found in China, ranging in the 

 summer as far as Amurland, and it has been recorded in. the south from 

 Malacca. 



This fine Cuckoo appears to be a resident species in Burm ah, for. I am 



