582 MR. R. B. SHARPE ON THE CUCULID.E [June 17, 



February 1865 (Andersson) ; Ondonga, Ovampo, December I860 

 {Andersson) ; Biballa (Anchieta). S. Africa : Natal (Ayres). 



2. Cuculus ROCHI. 



Cuculus canorus, Desjard. P. Z. S. 1832, p. 111. 



Cuculus rochii, Hartl. P. Z. S. 1862, p. 224 (descr. orig.) ; Roch 

 & Newt. Ibis, 1863, p. 166; E. Newt. Ibis, 1863, p. 453; Schl. 

 P. Z. S. 1866, p. 424; Scld. & Poll. Faun. Madag. Ois. p. 53 

 (1868); Gray, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 215(18/0); Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1870, 

 p. 399 ; id. Cat. Afr. B. p. 12 (1871). 



Cuculus himalayanus, Grand. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1867, p. 418. 



Adult. Above dark cindery grey, the lores a little tinged with 

 brownish, the middle of the back and scapulars glossed in certain 

 lights with dull greenish ; lower back and rump more decidedly 

 ashy, the shafts of all the feathers glossy black, and the feathers 

 themselves obsoletely waved in certain lights ; wing-coverts coloured 

 like the back, and glossed with dull greenish in the same manner, 

 excepting the spurious wing, the feathers of which are externally 

 white, thus showing a little white patch on the upper edge of the 

 wing ; quills glossy brown, externally shaded with greenish, the 

 inner web broadly barred with white ; tail glossy black, tipped with 

 white, the two centre feathers marked with a series of equidistant 

 narrow longitudinal white spots along the shaft, the other feathers 

 similarly marked, but the spots rather larger and rounder on the 

 outer feathers, on the inner webs of which appear likewise some 

 irregular white spots, increasing in size and extent towards the 

 outermost feathers, taking at the base of the latter the form of 

 irregular bars, shafts blackish above, white below; cheeks and 

 throat bluish grey, lighter than the head ; rest of under surface 

 creamy white, transversely barred with greyish black ; vent and 

 under tail-coverts deep ochraceous buff, the long coverts broadly 

 barred with blackish, the shorter ones less distinctly ; under wing- 

 coverts creamy white, with narrow blackish cross bars ; edge of the 

 wing greyish ; bill black, yellow at base of lower mandible ; gape, 

 orbits, and feet yellow, claws blackish ; iris orange yellow. Total 

 length 12 inches, culmen 0*95, wing 6-j, tail 6-0, tarsus 07. 



Had. Madagascar (Rock and Newton, Crossley) ; 1 Mauritius, 

 Port Louis (E. Newton). 



Although closely allied to C. poliocephalus (Hand-1. 8990. 

 C. himalayensis), this Cuckoo seems to me to be a distinct species. 

 It is mYich darker above, and is not so broadly banded under- 

 neath, the white interspaces being wider. 



3. Cuculus solitarius. 



Le Coucou solitaire, Levaill. Ois. d'Afr. v. pi. 206 (1806); 

 Sundev. Crit. om Levaill. p. 47 (1858). 



Cuculus solitarius, Steph. Gen. Zool. ix. pt. 1, p. 84, pi. 18 

 (1815); Gurnev, Ibis, 1860, p. 213; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 248 



(1867). 



