24i Mr. D. A. Bannerman on a Coltectiu?i of 



[C. klaasi was plentiful and found in similar localities to 

 C. cupreus. A small black Cuckoo and also a large and very 

 noisy bird with a yellow patch in the wings_, closely allied to 

 C. serrutus, occur at Nauna Kru, but though shot they were 

 not picked up. — W. P. L.] 



ChrYSOCOCCYX SMARAGDINEUS (SwaiuS.). 



Chalcites smaragdineus Swains. Birds of Africa, p. 191 

 (1837). 



Metallococcyx smaragdineus Reich, ii, p. 101. 



a. S • Nanna Kru. 7th Jan., 1911. (No. 285.) 



h.lS-'] Axim. 25tli Feb.. 1911. (No. 540.) 



Iris brown ; bill green ; feet blue. 



Total length in the flesh 9^ inches ; expanse of wings 

 13 inches. 



It has hitherto been supposed by many ornithologists that 

 there was only a single species of the Emerald Cuckoo, 

 which has been universally named C. smaragdineus. There 

 is, however, no doubt that there are two forms of this 

 beautiful Cuckoo: C. smaragdineus, from West Africa, 

 which was described by Swainson from Gambia, and C. 

 smaragdineus intermedins Hartlaub, Orn. W. Afric. p. 191 

 (1857) (founded on Yerreaux's description of C. smarag- 

 dineus part. Rev. Mag. Zool. 1851, p. 260). 



It appears that Verreaux was the first to notice the fact, 

 as he remarks, "La seule diflereuce qui existe entre cet 

 oiseau du Gabon et celui du Senegal consiste dans la 

 longueur de lu queue, qui est plus courte dans le premier." 

 His remarks were quoted by Hartlaub, and on this was 

 founded the name interniedias. 



By referring to Swainson's original description of C. smarag- 

 dineus, it will be seen that he mentions '^ the under tail- 

 coverts in this are yellow und unspotted, while in that (the 

 Cape form) they are white with two green bands on each 

 feather." 



The series which I have examined in the British Museum 

 from the West Coast, South Africa, and Abyssinia, clearly 

 shew several important differences. As a great number of 

 examples in the Museum series are not absolutely adult 



