CENTllOPODINiE. 351 



The Lesser Indian Coucal. 



Descr. — Adult. — Head, hind-neck, upper tail-coverts, tail, and 

 beneath, glossy green-black ; wings and back rufous, or cliesnut, 

 infuscated at the tips of the wings, and often more or less so on the 

 Lack, scapulars and tertiaries ; tail-coverts much elongated. 



Bill black ; irides red ; legs plumbeous. 



Length 15 inches ; wing 6^ ; tail 8 ; bill at front 1 ; tarsus 1^ ; 

 hind claw nearly 1. 



The young birds are pale rufous above, with broadish black 

 bands, the rufous forming narrow bands on the upper tail-coverts 

 and tail ; and the black, narrow bands on the back and wings ; the 

 head and neck are streaked longitudinally ; the feathers being dusky 

 with a pale rufous centre ; under parts flavescent whitish, with 

 only a few dusky specks and rays : bill pale^yellow-horny. 



In another state, in the adult female, the general colour is 

 light rufous, more or less infuscated above, dingy yellowish- white 

 below ; the spinous shafts to the feathers of the head, neck, wing- 

 coverts, and breast, yellowish- white, and showing conspicuously ; 

 being set off with blackish, which brings out the contrasts, and the 

 feathers are more or less barred transversely, especially the scapu- 

 lars, back, and the long upper tail-coverts. In a further stage the 

 feathers are black with yellowish-white shafts on the head, back, 

 wing-coverts, and breast, to a greater or less extent; and to this the 

 fully adult plumage appears to succeed. 



The small Indian Coucal is a somewhat rare bird, but spreads, 

 more or less, through most parts of India. I have had it 

 from the Eastern Ghats, from Mysore, and Central India. Mr. 

 Blyth has it from Cuttack, from Lower Bengal, &c. ; and I have seen 

 it at Rajmahal and Caragola, in Upper Bengal, in grass jungle. It 

 also occurs in the sub-LIimalayan region. It appears to be more 

 common in the countries to the east of Bay of Bengal, from Arracan 

 to the islands. Tytler states^ that it is common about Dacca, where 

 found in bush-jungle. "The calls vary," says he, "and are curious, 

 one resemblino- the bark of the Bengal Fox ; whilst the other misht 

 be imitated thus, — cluck cluck, cluck, gouk, gouk, gouk^ kurr, kurr, 

 Jiurr, cjx"." I obtained the nest and egg of this bird in June ; the 

 eggs arc pure white, and very round. The nest, composed of 



