6U0 MR. R. B. SHARPE ON THE CUCULIDjE [Junel7, 



Hab. "Abundant in the Karroo, extends into (he Cape peninsula 

 and has been received from all parts of the colony to the eastward " 

 (Layard) ; Graham's Town (T. C. Atmore) ; Kaffraria (Mus. Hein.) ; 

 Natal and Transvaal (T. Ayres). 



The birds in my collection supposed to be of this species from 

 Damara Land are really Cuculus clamosus, and were labelled wrongly 

 by a friend who was assisting me in arranging my collection at the 

 time. During my absence the birds got mixed ; and not being an 

 ornithologist, he labelled all the black Cuckoos by one name. Hence 

 arose the mistake, for which I am responsible, of giving C. serratus 

 as a Damara species in Andersson's book. 



Subfam. 2. PHffiNicoPHAiN^:. 



Having been forced to study the other genera of this subfamily 

 in order to determine the exact position of the two African species, 

 I give here the notes I made with a view to help any future student 

 of the group. The study of the Phcenicophdince is attended with 

 considerable difficulty, owing rather to the variability of the struc- 

 tural characters in a more or less important degree, than to the 

 specific similarity of the birds included in the subfamily. 



As far as can be determined by external characters, it is impossible 

 to find grounds for the separation of so many subfamilies as Mr. 

 Gray admits in his ' Handlist ; ' nor can I quite acquiesce in the 

 arrangement of the genera proposed by him. Carpococcyx exhibits 

 a direct tendency to Neomorphus, from which it can scarcely be 

 distinguished except by its smaller development of crest and bare 

 face. Anatomy may one day bring to light some sounder 

 grounds of division ; but at present it seems hopeless to attempt 

 to place these American Cuckoos far from the Malayan Phce- 

 nicopka'ince. The latter subfamily appears to me to contain the 

 following Old-World genera, the numbers being taken from the 

 ' Handlist.' 



2195. Phccnicophaes. 



2190. Rhamphococcyx. 



2197. Dasy lop fats. 



2198. Lepidogrammus {Leptogranimus, err.). 



2199. Carpococcyx. 



2200. Zanclostomus. 



2201. Ceuthmochares. 



2202. Taccocua. 



2203. Rhopodytes {Rhododytes, err.). 



2204. Bhinortha. 



2205. Coua (=Sericosomus). 



So that it will be seen that I adopt nearly all Mr. Gray's generic and 

 subgeneric divisions. Indeed some of the latter are in my mind 

 more thoroughly distinguishable than the genera he recognizes. I 

 propose the following arrangement : — 



