586 MR. R. B. SHARPE ON THE CUCULID^E [JlHie 17, 



ex Levaill.) ; Bp. Consp. i. p. 102 (1850); id. Consp. Volucr. Zyg. 

 p. 6 (1854) ; Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. iv. p. 36 (1862); Heugl. 

 J. f. O. 1862, p. 35; Layard, 13. S. Afv. p. 249 (1867); Gray, 

 Hand-1. B. ii. p. 215 (1870) ; Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 781 (1871) ; 

 Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 12 (1871) ; Gurney ed. Anderss. B. Dam. 

 Ld. p. 228 (1872). 



Cuculus capensis, Cuv. Regne An. i. p. 424 (1817, ex Levaill. 

 nee Mull.). 



Cuculus lineatns, Sw. B. W. Afr. ii. p. 178, pi. xviii. (1837). 



Cuculus ruficollis, Heugl. Syst. Uebers. p. 49 (1856) ; id. J. f. O. 

 1864, p. 265. 



Cvculus leptodetus, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. Th. iv. p. 34 

 (1862). 



Cuculus canorus (pt.), Schl. Mus. P. B. Cuculi, p. 6 (1864). 



Adult male. Above bluisb grey, rather glossed with brownish on 

 the head and back, and decidedly clearer grey on the rump and 

 upper tail-coverts, the lateral feathers of the last named being 

 transversely spotted and barred with white ; wing-coverts dark 

 greyish brown, primary coverts and quills rather darker, especially 

 the secondaries, which are glossed with greyish, the inner webs very 

 distinctly barred with white; tail ashy grey, the outer feathers 

 browner and all tipped with white, before which a distinct blackish 

 bar crosses the end of the tail, this being much more distinct when 

 viewed from underneath ; the centre feathers marked with longi- 

 tudinal drops of white along the shaft, these increasing in extent 

 towards the outer feathers, which are also notched or spotted with 

 white on the inner web, until on the last feather they form more or 

 less perfect bars across the feather ; sides of the face and entire 

 throat bluish grey, rather lighter on the lores and fore part of the 

 cheeks, the fore neck tinted with pale russet ; remainder of under 

 surface creamy white, transversely barred with greyish brown, these 

 bars becoming mere zig-zag in shape on the under tail-coverts ; 

 under wing-coverts white, with irregular cross markings of grey ; 

 axillary plumes white, barred like the breast ; bill yellow on the 

 lower mandible and on the base of the upper one, including the 

 nostrils, becoming blackish on the edge of the culmen and the tip of 

 both mandibles; feet yellow. Total length 12 inches, culmen 1-0, 

 wing 8 - 5, tail 65, tarsus 0"85. 



Hab. N.E. Africa : White Nile and Sobat ; mountains of Wola- 

 Galla, in April ; Bari Negro Land, in February and March ; Bongo, 

 in August (Heuglin). S.W. Africa: Damara Land and Ovampo 

 (A?idersson). S. Africa : Caffraria (Levaillant) ; Natal (Ayres). 



The present species is the resident Cuckoo of a certain part of 

 Africa, representing our Cuckoo so closely that in some instances it 

 is difficult to distinguish between them. Mr. John Henry Gurney, 

 who examined my series, has given (Ibis, 1871, p. 103) an account 

 of the differences between the two species ; and a prolonged revision 

 of the specimens he examined enables me to confirm his views. 

 The most constant character is to be found in the beak ; for whereas 



