266 MR. R. SWINHOE ON THE BIRDS OF CHINA. [June 23, 



This abnormal form of Cuckoo, with peculiar bill aud somewhat 

 graduated tail, is ably described by von Schrenck in the work above 

 noted, but wrongly referred to the much larger Himalayan type. It 

 is also noticed in Jerdou's ' Birds of India,' p. 331. I have seen it 

 in Hongkong in April ; but have, unfortunately, only one individual 

 in hepatic or rufous plumage from Manilla, and must therefore direct 

 my readers to von Schrenck's work, with the caution, however, that 

 the bird there figured is not in the plumage of the adult. This 

 species of Cuckoo is, curiously enough, spotted and streaked instead 

 of being barred on the under parts. I have to thank Mr. Blyth for 

 drawing my attention to Dr. Horsfield's type specimen in the E. I. C. 

 Museum, from the Straits, which appears identical with our bird. 



45. POLYPHASIA TENUIROSTRIS. 



Cuculus tenuirostris, Gray. 



A summer visitant to the south of China, though some few stay 

 very late. I have an adult male, shot at Amoy on the 9th of De- 

 cember 1857. Chinese specimens agree almost entirely with those 

 from India ; but their tints are usually of a higher tone, the grey 

 runs lower down on the breast, the under parts are more brightly 

 rufescent, there is much more whitish on the edge of the carpus, 

 and much less white on the under wing. The bills and wings of my 

 specimens vary somewhat in length. Like the larger Cuckoos, this 

 bird in the adult plumage often exhibits bars of red on the upper 

 parts ; and frequent cases of the rufescent or hepatic plumage occur. 

 I have one adult male which is of a fine chestnut-red on the upper 

 parts barred with bronze-black, the under parts being rufous barred 

 with black and white. One specimen in the partial hepatic plumage 

 has an admixture of grey on the lower parts, showing a tendency to 

 the allied P. nigra of Hindostan. The notes of the Indian P. te- 

 nuirostris would appear, according to Jerdon, to differ from those of 

 our summer visitant. 



46. Centropus viridis, Scopoli. 



C. bengalensis, Gmel. 



C. lepidus, Horsf. 



C. affinis, Horsf. 



C. tolu. Raffles. 



C. pumilus, Lesson, &c. (see Jerdon, Birds of India, i. p. 350). 



This small Lark-heel is a resident species in South China, being 

 chiefly confined to islands. It is somewhat rare on the main, where 

 the large species abounds. In Formosa it is the only species. (See 

 The Ibis, 1861, p. 48.) 



47. Centropus rufipennis, lUiger. 



(For synonyms, see Jerdon, Birds of India, i. p. 348.) 

 C. sinensis, of my "Canton List," Ibis, 1861, p. 49. 

 C. eurycercus, A. Hay. 



The large Lark-heels from India, Malacca, and China have been 



