No. I.] THE AUSTRAL AVIAN RECORD 7 



Shelley monographed the Cuckoos and belittling or 

 disregarding Count Salvadori's painstaking work, enve- 

 loped these birds in almost hopeless confusion. The 

 nomenclature there adopted was followed in the Handlist 

 of Birds and by myself, and is responsible to some 

 extent for the numerous changes now necessary. 



In that place, for the Australian Bronze Cuckoos Chal- 

 cococcyx was utilised, while Lamprococcyx was synony- 

 mised with Chrysococcyx, C. cupreus Boddaert being 

 given as type of both. Chalcococcyx was proposed by 

 Cabanis (Mus. Hein., Vol. IV., p. 15, 1862) for the 

 species C. xanthorhynchus Horsfield alone, and if any 

 genus -splitting whatever has to be done, that species 

 cannot be classed with the Austral-Malayan Bronze 

 Cuckoos. 



North was quite right in using Lamprococcyx for the 

 Australian Shining Cuckoos, but if it is necessary to 

 use generic names for small natural groups then the oasalis 

 group should also be differentiated. I therefore propose 



Neochalcites 



for this genus of Shining Cuckoos, and name C. basalis 

 mellori, subsp n., as type. 



I consider that all the preceding Bronze Cuckoos 

 should be regarded as constituting one genus, viewing 

 genera as being based on structural characters. As 

 however, at the present time, it seems to be the rule 

 to recognise colour-genera I herewith offer some 

 observations on the plumages of these Bronze Cuckoo 

 group types : 



Chrysococcyx smaragdineus (Swainson), the type of 

 Chrysococcyx Boie, has the adult male brilliant green 

 above, the feathers having a most beautiful metallic 

 scale-like appearance, which suggested Reichenow's 

 generic name of Metallococcyx. This is also the colour 

 and nature of the throat and upper-breast, while the 

 lower-breast and abdomen are uniform cream-colour. 

 The adult female lacks the brilliant upper-surface colora- 

 tion, being dull green, and has all the under-surface 



