BIRDS OF NORTH AND MIDDLE AMERICA. 7 



than twice as long as the very short mandibular rami, faintly concave; 

 mandibular tomia faintly notched subterminally. Nostril roundish 

 or broadly oval, with raised margin or rim. Wing long and pointed, 

 the longest primaries exceeding secondaries by half the length of 

 wing; eighth primary longest, the seventh and ninth about equal, 

 the tenth (outermost) nearly as long as fourth. Tail shorter than 

 wing (but more than three-fourths as long), graduated for about one- 

 fourth its length, the rectrices becoming slightly narrower distally. 

 Tarsus shorter than middle toe with claw, the upper portion clothed 

 with rather long, soft feathers. 



Plumage and coloration. — Plumage compact, that of the rump very 

 dense And matted; tail-coverts long, covering more than basal half 

 of tail (both above and below) ; head completely and densely feathered 

 (except a narrow space around eye), without any bristles about base 

 of bill; no obvious eyelashes. Adults plain gray above and on throat, 

 the under parts of body whitish, more or less barred with blackish; 

 inner webs of primaries transversely spotted with white ; tail blackish, 

 narrowly tipped with white; young barred with dusky and rusty. 



Range. — Eastern Hemisphere (one species accidental in Alaska). 

 (About eleven species.) 



CUCULUS CANORUS TELEPHONUS (Heine). 



KAMCHATKA]* CUCKOO. 



Similar to 0. c. canorus b but adults with under parts much more 

 narrowly barred. 



Adult male. — Above plain gray (nearest neutral gray, but slightly 

 more bluish), slightly lighter and clearer on pileum, hindneck, rump, 

 and upper tail-coverts, decidedly darker (dark neutral gray or dark 

 purplish gray) on alulse and primary coverts; tail deep neutral gray 

 shading into slate-blackish distally (the color very faintly glossed 

 with bronze-greenish), all the rectrices tipped with white (sometimes 

 very narrowly, however, on middle pair) ; lateral rectrices with a 

 series of small, more or less cordate, spots of white along shaft (some- 

 times extending across outer web), the other rectrices (including some- 

 times middle pair) with indications of these markings in the form of 

 short longitudinal streaks, the edge of inner web of all (except middle 

 pair) more or less distinctly spotted or irregularly edged with white; 

 chin, throat, and chest plain pale gray (nearest pale neutral gray) ; 



<*The number given in Sharpe's "Hand-list" (ii, 1900, 158, 159). Of these only 

 C. canorus, type of the genus, and its close allies, has been examined in the present 

 connection. 



b [Cuculus] canorus Linnseus, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, i, 1758, 110 (Europe); ed. 12, i, 

 1766, 168.— Cuculus canorus Naumann, Vog. Deutschl., v, 1826, 196, pis. 127, 128,129; 

 Gould, Birds Europe, iii, 1836, pi. 240 and text; Birds Great Brit., iii, 1873, pis. 67, 

 68, and text; Dresser, Birds Europe, v, 1878, 199, pi. 299; Shelley, Oat. Birds Brit. 

 Mus., xix, 1891, 245, part only. 



c Owing to lack of sufficient material I am unable to give a more satisfactory state- 

 ment of the differential characters of this and allied forms. « 



