528 CUCULID^. 



America we find two fairly distinct forms of this bird occupying for the most part 

 distinct districts, and we treat them as different species, so that, with P. minuta, which 

 occurs at the extreme southern end of our fauna, and P. melanogaster of South America, 

 we recognize four forms in all, which is one more than is admitted by Capt. Shelley. 

 The northern range of the genus extends to the Mexican State of Tamaulipas on one 

 side to that of Sinaloa on the other, and thence spreads southwards, and to a height of 

 about 5000 feet in the mountainous districts. 



The bill of Piaya is much like that of Coccyzus in its general shape and curvature, 

 but is shorter and stouter ; the nostrils are oval openings at the lower edge of the nasal 

 fossa; the wings are short and rounded, the sixth quill being the longest, the third 

 falling far short of the extremity ; the primaries themselves do not project much 

 beyond the secondaries, and the whole wing when closed fits compactly to the body ; the 

 tail is very long, and composed of wide, curved, soft feathers ; all but the middle pair 

 are distinctly tipped with white, and the lateral pair are little more than half the 

 middle pair ; the eyelashes are simple strong bristles, without barbs as in Coccyzus. 



1. Piaya cayana. 



Cuculus cayanus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 170 ^j Licht. Preis-Verz. Mex. Vog. p. 1 (c/. J. f. Orn. 



1863, p. 55) ^ Wagl. Isis, 1831, p. 524 \ 

 Piaya cayana, Less. Traite d'Orn. p. 140"; Lawr. Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 33'; Sumi- 



chrast, La Nat. v. p. 239'; Salv. Cat. Strickl. Coll. p. 441 '; Ibis, 1889, p. 372 "; Boucard, 



P. Z. S. 1883, p. 454 ' ; Ferrari-Perez, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. ix. p. 162 "; Ridgw. Pr. U. S. 



Nat. Mus. X. pp. 582", 591"; Stone, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1890, p. 206"; Shelley, Cat. Birds 



Brit. Mus. xix. p. 373 (partim) ". 

 Piaya mewicana, Scl. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 308 " ; 1858, p. 359 " ; Moore, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 60 " ; Scl. 



&Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 133". 

 Piaya melheri, Bp. Consp. Av. i. p. 110"; Scl. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 177"; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix. 



pp. 128", 205 ''; Salv. Ibis, 1866, p. 204"^; P. Z. S. 1867, p. 156'*; 1870, p. 211 "; Ibis, 



1872, p. 323 '" ; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 280 " ; 1870, p. 837 '' ; v. Frantz. J. f. Orn! 



1869, p. 361 "; Boucard, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 48'°; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p. 239". 

 Pyrrhococcyx melheri, Cab. J. f. Orn. 1862, p. 167 ''^ 

 Piaya cayana melheri, Nutting, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 401 " ; vi. pp. 376 ", 388 '' ; Ridgw. Pr. 



U. S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 498 '° ; Zeledon, An. Mus. Nac. Costa Rica, 1 887, p. 123 " ; Cherrie 



Auk, 1892, p. 326''; Richmond, Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus. xvi. p. 517'°. 

 Piaya thermophila, Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, p. 368"; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1860, p. 43". 

 Piaya nigricrissa, Scl. P. Z. S. 1860, p. 285 " ; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 300"; viii. p. 175" • 



Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1864, p. 366 ". 

 Piaya ridibunda, Lawr. Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. no. 4, p. 33"; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p. 239". 

 Supra eastaneus, capite summo fusoescentiore ad fronteni pallidiore : subtus gutfcure toto pallide rufescente • 

 abdomine griseo, ventre imo, tectricibus subcaudalibus et tibiis griseo-nigricantibus ; alis et cauda dorso 

 concoloribus panlo saturatioribus, remigum apicibus fusco-nigricantibus, subalaribus pallide griseis ; caudte 

 rectricibus mediis ad apicem nigris, apicibus ipsis albis, rectricibus reliquis supra rufeseentibus ad apicem 

 nigris et albo terminatis, subtus omnino uigris, apicibus tantum albis ; rostro flaveseenti-viridi ad basin 



