17 



Hierococcyx spaveroides (Tig.)- 



A male taken at Balete on May 5, 1905. 



Cacomantis merulinus (Scop.). 

 Balete. 



Chalcococcyx xanthorhynchus (Horsf.). 



A male of this pretty little cuckoo was killed March 20, 1905, 

 near Chicago. 



Endynamis mindanensis (Linn.). 



The Philippine koel is abundant in Mindoro. 



Centropus mindorensis (Steere). 



Centrococcyx mindorensis STEERE, List Bds. and Mams. Steere Exp., p. 12. 



The Mindoro cuckoo was abundant in the localities visited by 

 us, but was not often seen far from a thick tangle of brush or a bed 

 of saw grass in which it could hide at the first sign of danger. It 

 was merely by chance that I discovered a nest of this species, 

 situated in the interior of a bed of saw grass and made fast to 

 several stems. The nest, placed about 5 feet from the ground, 

 was entirely composed of wide grass with a slight lining of bamboo 

 leaves. It was very bulky, measuring 2 feet in height by 15 inches 

 in the shortest diameter, and was not unlike a ricebird's nest 

 greatly enlarged, having the top covered, and a small hole in one 

 side. On April 8 there were two eggs in the nest, which were 

 taken on April 12 as no more had been deposited. In color they 

 are dull white, covered by a thin chalky layer which is of a pale, 

 creamy white; their measurements are 1.08 by 0.86 and 0.96 

 by 0.83. 



In the short description given by Steere the characters of this 

 species are well described, but his statement "Wings slightly shaded 

 with rufous, most apparent on edges of primaries" needs some 

 modification. The "rufous" is not a constant character, and when 

 present is confined to the edges of the alula and primary coverts, 

 rarely present on the secondary coverts, and never on the primaries. 

 This is not dependent upon sex, but it may be due to the age of 

 the bird. These statements are based upon the examination of 

 eleven adult specimens. 



A young bird, No. 5109, Balete, May 18, 1905, has the upper 

 parts similar to those of the adult, but duller; alula, primary 

 coverts, and some secondary coverts, barred and mottled with light 

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