116 MEGILAIMID^. 



Gen. Xantholsema.— l^onap. 



Bill short and wide ; 2nd quill longest. 



Xantholsema hsemacephala. Mull. V. TiJ. 331 et 74.6-2 ; Levail 

 Barb. t. 35 ; Marshall, Gapit. pi. Eume, Str. F. i. p. 453 ; iii. p. 77. 

 Xantholsema indicus, Lath. Jerd. B. Ind. i. p. 315, No. 197 ; Murray, 

 Hdbk, Zool., Sfc, Bind, p. 131. — The Ceimson-beeasted Baebet. 



Forehead and forecrown bright crimson ; throat and round the eyes 

 pale sulphur yellow ; pectoral gorget glistening crimson^ edged below 

 with an arrow of rich golden yellow; moustachial streak continued 

 round the throat aBove the crimson pectoral gorget, and on the crown 

 of the head, black ; back and wing-coverts green, more or less 

 margined yellowish; primaries and secondaries greenish; the inner 

 webs dusky brown and margined with dull white ; tail greenish, tinged 

 with blue ; beneath, the abdomen, vent and under tail-coverts fulvous 

 or greenish white^ streaked with green ; bill black ; irides hazel ; 

 orbitar skin dull crim.son ; legs coral red. 



Hub. — India generally ; Burmah, Malayana, Ceylon, Nepaul, Tenas- 

 serim and Upper Pegu ; Punjab, N. W. Provinces and Oudh. Occurs 

 inKutch, Kattiawar and Jodhpore, and probably in North Guzerat also. 

 In Sind it is rare, and occurs as a visitor in September and October, 

 affecting the acacia forests. 



Family, CUCULID^, Leach.— Ctickoos. 



Bill rather slender and compressed, curved above, tip scooped; 

 nostrils in a membranous groove ; wings long ; tail rounded.. 



Sub-Family, CUOULIN^. 



Tarsi short, feathered and scaled ; bill broad, flattened at base. 



Gen. Cuculus. — Lin. 



3rd quill longest ; two onter feathers of tail shortest ; tarsi feathered 

 below the knee; outer front toe longest, united at base to the inner toe. 



Cuculus canorus, Linn. F.E. 811; Naum. vogt. t. 127-129; Goidd. 

 B. Eu. pi. 240; Jerd. i. p. 322, No. 199; Eume, Str. F. iv. 288 ; 

 Murray, Hdbh., Zool., Sfc., Sind, p. 131.— The Bdropean CucKoa. 



Head and upper parts dark ashy, ashy, or pale blue ; breast and 

 belly white, elegantly crossed with wavy bars of black; the quills 

 are dusky, their inner webs marked with large oval white spots ; tail 

 long, the two middle feathers black with white tips, the others dusky, 

 with alternate spots of white on each side of the shaft; legs short, 

 yellow ; bill black, yellowish at base beneath ; orbits and irides deep 

 yellow. 



Length.— 14: inches, wing 8-75 to 9, tail 7, bill at front 0-75. 



Fft6.— Europe, N. Africa, China, Formosa, Beloochistan, Persia, 

 B. Afghanistan, Eastern Turkistan, and India generally; Nepaul, 

 Burmah, Ceylon, Upper Pegu, and throughout Western, Central, 



