012 MR. R. B. SHARPE ON THE CUCULID.E [Juiiel/, 



Genus 4. Sericosomxjs*. 



( Fide supra, p. 608.) 



Key to the species. 



a. Throat not uniform with breast. 



a'. Throat bluish grey, like the upper surface. 



a". Belly buff, under tail-coverts very little darker 1. cristatus. 



b". Belly pure white ; under tail-coverts rich tawny, in 



strong contrast 2. pyropygus. 



b'. Throat ochraceous 3. cursor. 



c'. Throat buffy white. 



a". Lower back and rump olive-green, like the back. 

 a'". Largest : lower abdomen and under tail-coverts 



black 4. gigas. 



b'". Smaller : lower abdomen and under tail-coverts 



lilac-brown 5. coauerelli. 



b". Lower back and rump dull lilac. 



c'". Head bright rufous 6. ruficeps. 



d'". Head brownish olive 7 '. olivaceiccps. 



d'. Throat black ; breast chestnut 8. serrianus. 



h. Throat uniform with breast. 



a'. Crown tawny 9. reynaudi. 



b'. Crown blue, like back 10. caruleus. 



1. Sericosomus cristatus. 



Le coucon huppe de Madagascar, Briss. Orn. iv. p. 149, pi. xii. 

 fig. 2 (1/60) ; Montb. PI. Enl. vi. pi. 589 (1783). 



Cuculus cristatus, Linn. S. N. i. p. 171 (1766). 



Le Coua (male), Levaill. Ois. d'Afr. v. p. 67, pi. 217 (1806); 

 Sundev. Crit. oin Levaill. p. 48 (1858). 



Coecyzus cristatus, Bonn, et Vieill. Enc. Me'th. iii. p. 1346 (1823) ; 

 Less. Traite*, p. 139 (1831). 



Serisomus cristatus, Sw. Classif. B. ii. p. 323 (1837) ; A. Newt. 

 P. Z. S. 1865, p. 834. 



Coua cristata, Gray, Gen. B. ii. p. 454 (1846) ; Bp. Consp. i. 

 p. 109 (1850); Hartl. Faun. Madag. p. 62 (1861) ; Roch & E. 

 Newt. Ibis, 1863, p. 166; Schl. P. Z. S. 1866, p. 424; Grand. 

 Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1867, p. 392 ; Schl. & Poll. F. M. Ois. p. 56 

 (1868) ; Gray, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 208 (1870) ; Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1870, 

 p. 399; id. Cat. Afr. B. p. 14 (1871). 



Sericosomus cristatus, Cab. & Heine, Mus. Hein. Th. iv. p. 72, 

 note (1862), Cab. in Von der Decken, Reise, iii. Vog. p. 39 (1869). 



Cua cristata, Schl. Mus. P.-B., Cuculi, p. 46 (1864). 



* Sericosomus verreauxi. 



Coua verreauxi, Grand. Eev. et Mag. de Zool. 1867, p. 86 (descr. orig.) : Gray, 

 Hand-1. ii. p. 208 (1870). ' V 



Whether this is a good species or not I do not know. No mention is made 

 of it by M. Grandidier in his second article on Madagascar birds {torn. cit. p. 390). 

 His original description is as follows: — 



Occipital crest composed of feathers 0-4 in. long, cinereous at base, at the tip 

 steel-green, above ashy greenish ; quills bright greenish, with a golden lustre ; 

 tail-feathers bluish, the lateral ones terminated with white ; throat and breast 

 cinereous ; vent and under tail-coverts white. 



