THE ISLANDS OF THE BAY OF BENGAL. 191 



Our Kondul specimens measured : — The male, length, 12'75 ; 

 expanse, 195 ; wing, 6'9 ; tail, from vent, 5 - 75 ; tarsus, 0'7 ; 

 bill, from gape, I'l : female, length, 11^5; wing, 6 - 8 ; 

 tail, 5*25 ; bill, from gape, T08 ; tarsus, 0'7. 



In both the feet, iris, and gape were bright yellow ; the upper 

 mandible and the tip of the lower mandible horny green ; and 

 the rest of the lower mandible yellowish horny. 



203.— Cuculus micropterus, Gould. (0.) 



Mr. V. Ball states, (J. A. S., XLI., 1872, p. 280), that he 

 obtained a specimen of this species at the Andamans, and Lord 

 Walden (Ibis, 1873, p. 304) somewhat doubtfully identifies four 

 specimens killed by Ramsay at the Andamans, between the 31st 

 December and 29th January with this species, and on these 

 authorities I include the species. Our Nicobar birds, absolutely 

 and positively, do not belong to this species. 



211 bis.— Chalcococcyx xanthorhynchus, 



Mors/. (2.) 



I have received two specimens of this beautiful cuckoo which 

 were killed about the middle of August in the neighbourhood 

 of Port Blair. Lieutenant Wardlaw Ramsay also obtained a 

 young bird, which, although I have never seen it, I have little 

 doubt, from the description I received, must have belonged to 

 this species. 



In the immature plumage, this species greatly resembles 

 C. smaragdinus, Blyth, (Hodgsoni, Horsf. et auctorum), but its 

 may be readily distinguished by its broader bill, and by the 

 base of the lower mandible being much yellower than in that 

 species, and by the wing of 3*7 to 3*8 against 4*1 to 4*2 in 

 smaragdinus. Once a single feather of the adult plumage, which 

 is a deep metallic puce, shows itself, there is no mistaking the bird. 



The following was Mr. Blyth's description (J. A. S., 1842, 

 p. 919) of the adult :— 



" Amethystii^-cuckoo ; length, six inches and a half; of wing 

 four inches, nwa, tail three inches ; its outermost feather half 

 an inch shorter ; bill to forehead (through the feathers) eleven- 

 sixteenths of an inch, and tarsi half an inch ; color of the 

 upper parts and breast brilliant amethystine-violet, with dull 

 dark margins to the body feathers, slightly glossed with green ; 

 beneath white, barred across with dark green. Outermost 

 caudal feathers having five white bars, the last terminal, and 

 the two basal not extending to the inner web ; the next two 

 feathers on each side are tipped with white, and tho penultimate 



