cucuLiNJi:. 341 



cerci. I found a young one in the nest of M. griseus, in a thick 

 Euphorbia hedge at Coimbiitore ; and Layard, In Ceylon, found a 

 pair of the Malacocerci of Ceylon, feeding a young one. Theobald 

 also obtained the egg from the nest of M. caudatus ; and Blyth 

 from that of M. hengalensis : it is deep greenish-blue, and bluntly 

 oval at both ends. Latham mentions that it is said to lay its egg 

 in the nest of the ChatarrhcBa, Malacocercus bengalensis. 



This bird, remarks Mr. Phillips^ makes a great figure in Hindu 

 poetry, wider the name of Chatak. 



213. Coccystes Goromandus, Lin. 



Cuculus, apud Linnaeus — Blyth., Cat. 363 — Hoesf, Cat. 1013 

 — JiiRDON, Cat. 227 — Cue. collaris, Vieillot — Yerra gola kolcila. 

 Tel., — Tsebeii, Lepch. 



The Eed-winged Crksted Cuckoo, 



Descr. — Upper parts, with the tertiaries, black, glossed with 

 green, paler on the tertiaries, and less glossed on the head; a con- 

 spicuous half-collar of white encircles the nape ; wings deep ferru- 

 ginous, with the tip.s of the primaries and secondaries dusky ; under 

 parts white, a little tinged with fulvous, except the lower tail-coverts, 

 which are green-black, and the throat and fore-neck, wdiich are deep 

 ochreous, fulvous in some ; in others, probably females, liiiht 

 fulvous. 



Bill black ; legs leaden ; irides red-broAvn ; inside of the mouth 

 dull coral-red. Length 14^ inches; extent 18^; wino- 6^; 

 tail 8-^ ; bill at front 1 in ; tarsus -,%. 



The wings are shorter and more rounded than in the last ; 4tli and 

 5th primaries equal and longest ; 3rd equal to 6th, or very little 

 shorter. 



A young bird in the Mus. As. Soc. has the feathers of the head 

 and some of those of the wing-coverts edged with rufous. 



The coloring of this bird, it may be mentioned, has some points 

 in common with Centropus. 



It appears to be a rare sj-ecies everywhere, though generally 

 spread through India and Ceylon, extending into Burmah and 

 Malayana. It is said to be common in Tenasserim and the 



