196 CUCULID^ COCCYSTBS 



Shelley, Cat. B. M. xix, p. 217 (1891) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 123 

 (1896) ; Woodward Bros. Natal B. p. ] 13 (1899) ; Alexander, Ibis, 

 1900, p. 108 [Ziimbo] ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 251 [Mashonaland] . 



Description. Adult male. — Above, black glossed with green ; a 

 white band across the wing, caused by the basal halves of the 

 primary quills being white; central tail-feathers slightly, outer 

 more strongly, tipped with white ; below, white washed with pale 

 buff, outer under wing-coverts like the rest of the under surface, 

 inner ones slaty-black. 



Iris dusky or black ; bill black ; legs and feet lead coloured or 

 black. 



Length 13-5 ; wing 5-80 ; tail 6-70 ; culmen 0-90 ; tarsus 1-1. 

 The female resembles the male in plumage and size. The 

 young bird is brown above, and the bases of the primaries and tips 

 of the tail are fulvescent ; the throat is grey and the rest of the 

 underparts buff. 



Distribution. — The Black and White Cuckoo is a widely-spread 

 bird, ranging all over Africa, south of Sahara and through southern 

 Asia as far as Assam and Upper Burma. 



In South Africa it appears to be replaced in the Colony by the 

 following sub-species ; elsewhere it is widely spread, though never 

 very common, and only found in the summer from October to 

 February. It probably spends the southern winter in central 

 Africa. 



The following are localities : Natal — Near Colenso in November 

 (Butler), Maritzburg (Fitzsimmons) ; Orange Eiver Colony — 

 Kroonstad (Symonds), Bloemfontein, October (S. A. Mus.) ; Trans- 

 vaal — Potchefstroom (Ayres) ; Bechuanaland — Mangwato, Decem- 

 ber (Ayres), Lake Ngami dist. (Andersson) ; Ehodesia — near 

 Salisbury, February (Marshall) ; German south-west Africa — 

 Damaraland, December (Andersson) ; Portuguese east Africa — Tete 

 (Livingstone), Zumbo, November (Alexander). 



Habits.— M.r. A. D. Millar writes :— " The Black and White 

 Cuckoo is not often seen on the coast, but is frequently met with 

 among the thorns of the upper districts of Natal during the summer 

 months. During the latter half of December, 1898, when nesting 

 near Frere, between Estcourt and Ladysmith, I found on three 

 occasions eggs of this bird deposited in the nest of the Fiscal Shrike 

 {Lanius coUaris). In two instances the nest contained the full 

 clutch of the shrike, in addition to the Cuckoo's egg, but in the 

 other case only two shrike's eggs. The cuckoo's egg is large, white 

 and somewhat ovate, measuring 1-0 by 0-85. 



