128 BIRDS OF BRITISH BURMAH. 



scapulars and back pale chestnut, the quills dusky at their tips, and some 

 of the feathers of the coverts, scapulars and back with yellow shaft-stripes ; 

 rump and upper tail-coverts bluish black ; tail black, tipped narrowly with 

 yellowish white ; under wing-coverts pale chestnut. 



In winter both sexes have the head from the forehead to the nape, the 

 back and sides of the neck and the scapulars brown edged with rufous and 

 with yellowish shaft-stripes ; back, rump, wing -co verts and tail-coverts 

 greenish black, barred with rufous ; chin, throat and breast fulvous, with 

 pale shaft-lines ; abdomen, sides of the body, vent and under tail-coverts 

 darker fulvous, closely barred with black ; tail greenish black, tipped with 

 yellowish white ; wings dull chestnut, the quills darker at the tips, the 

 coverts with pale shaft-lines ; under wing-coverts rufous. 



The following variations occur : The tail is frequently barred with 

 rufous, either the whole or only the centre pair of feathers, and occasionally 

 only the ends of the centre pair ; the under tail-coverts are sometimes 

 almost black, with few bars ; the throat and breast are frequently marked 

 with arrowhead-shaped marks ; the length of the upper tail-coverts varies 

 very much. 



Iris brown to yellow j eyelids bluish grey to purplish brown ; mouth 

 flesh-colour ; bill black or coffee-brown, paler on the margins and at the 

 gape ; legs plumbeous ; claws dark horn. 



Length 14'5 to 15'7 inches, tail 7'8 to 8'5, wing 5'3 to 6'4, tarsus 1'8, 

 bill from gape 1*3. The female is of about the same size as the male. 



There are many reputed species from the Malayan region, the greater part 

 of them doubtfully distinct from the present species. The investigation 

 of these is beset with difficulties, and does not, moreover, come within the 

 scope of this work. The birds which inhabit British Burmah are un- 

 doubtedly all of one species, identical with the Indian bird, the true 

 C. bengalensis. 



The Lesser Coucal is locally distributed throughout British Burrnah, and 

 is also found in Karennee. It is more abundant in the grassy plains of 

 Southern Pegu than elsewhere ; but it is also found in considerable numbers 

 in the other parts of the Division, in Arrakan and in Tenasserim. 



It ranges through the Indo-Burmese countries, and is met with over a 

 great portion of India. It is said to have been found in the Malay penin- 

 sula as far as Singapore ; and it occurs in China, Siam and Cochin China, ' 

 the C. dimidiatus of Blyth from China being identical with C. bengalensis. 



The Lesser Coucal shows a preference for grass-lands, but is also found 

 in well-wooded localities on the edge of paddy-plains. It is a shy bird and 

 is but seldom seen ; but during the rains its remarkable note, consisting of 

 a series of whoops, followed by a series of notes each of which resembles 

 the word kurook, betrays its presence. It makes a large but neat globular 

 nest of grass in a clump of reeds, and lays three white eggs. 



