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



Cuculus nigricans, Sw. Zool. Illustr. 2ndser. vol. i. pi. 7(1829); id. 



B. W. Afr. ii.p. 180(1837); Gray, Gen.ofB.ii. p. 463 (1847); Haiti. 

 J. f. O. 1854, p. 416 ; id. Orn. W. Afr. p. 190 (1857) ; Gurney, Ibis, 

 1859, p. 246 ; Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. Th. iv. p. 441 (1862). 



Surniculus nigricans, Bp. Consp. i. p. 105 (1850). 



Cuculus chalybeus, Heugl. J. f. O, 1862, p. 34. 



Coccystes nigricans, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. Th. iv. p. 44, note 

 (1862) ; Gray, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 220 (1870). 



Coccystes serratus (pt.) ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 13 (1871, err.); 

 id. Ibis, 1872, p. 68. 



Oxylophus serratus, Gurney ed. Anderss. B. Dam. Ld. p. 226 

 (1872, ex Sharpe, err.). 



Adult male. — Above glossy greenish Mack, with a slight shade of 

 dull indigo on the interscapulary region ; quills brown, the pri- 

 maries whitish near the base of the inner web, where there are re- 

 mains of brownish bars, the innermost secondaries greenish black 

 like the back ; tail greenish black, tipped with white, all the feathers 

 more or less inclining to brown on the inner webs ; under surface of 

 body black, with a slight greenish gloss, not so glossy as the back, 

 some of the under tail-coverts tipped with brownish white ; bill 

 black ; feet yellow, claws black ; iris dark brown. Total length, 

 12 inches; culmen 0'95 ; wing 7'2 ; tail, 6*2; tarsus 0*75. 



Young. — Much browner than the adult, the wings paler ; the 

 under surface dusky, with remains of rufous bars on the chest, and 

 of fulvous cross markings on the breast, the under tail-coverts 

 tipped with white, and crossed with deep ochre bars ; tail tipped 

 with white, with indications of buffy white bars, nearly obsolete. 



An apparently very young bird in my collection from Fantee has 

 all the feathers narrowly edged with whitish, the breast white, with 

 broad transverse cross bars of black, the inner web of the primaries 

 barred with white, and the tail also spotted with white ; bill horn- 

 brown, yellowish brown on the under mandible. 



N. E. Africa : only in one locality in the Anseba valley, in 

 August and September, not noticed in May and July (Heuglin). 

 W. Africa : Denkera ( Ussher), Elmina, in April, and Amamoo, in 

 May 1872 (Blissett). S. W. Africa : Bibatta. (Anchieta) ; Elephant 

 Vley, Damara Land, Oct. 19 and Nov. 8, 1859 (Andersso?i). S. E. 

 Africa : Natal (Ayres) ; Eland's Post and the Katberg (Atmore). 



It seems that C. nigricans of Western Africa is inseparable from 



C. clamosus of South Africa. I fancied at first that the latter was a 

 trifle the larger bird ; but on examining my series, which is very 

 complete, I find that although one of the Fantee examples measures 

 only 6*5 in the wing, another measures 7*0, which surpasses some 

 of the South-African specimens. 



I have explained the cause of error by which this species came 

 to be included by Mr. Gurney (I. c.) under the head of Coccystes 

 serratus, in a note on the latter bird. 



8. Cuculus smaragdineus. 



Cuculus cupreus, Shaw (nee Bodd.), Mus. Lever, p. 157 (1792) ; 



