258 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



for the greater part cinnamon, broadly barred towards the 

 extremities with black, and tipped with white ; immediately above 

 the broad bar a few narrower incomplete bars across a portion of 

 both webs (most conspicuous in the two outer rectrices on each 

 side) alternating with white spots along the shaft ; the two cen- 

 tral rectrices being only faintly barred towards the extremities. 

 Remiges ten, the third the longest in the wing, dusky black with 

 numerous cinnamon-coloured spots on both webs ; those on the 

 inner webs converging into white spots extending to the outer 

 margin of the web. 



Chin, throat, sides of face, neck, and upper portion of breast 

 dusky white, each feather with two crescentic narrow bands of 

 black. Lower portion of breast, and rest of under parts pure 

 white, transversely barred with black ; vent nearly white ; under 

 tail-coverts white, with narrow black V-shaped markings. Under 

 wing-coverts white with narrow transverse black lines. Bill 

 horn-colour, yellow at base; inside of mouth, tarsi, and toes 

 orange-yellow. Irides yellowish brown. 



On dissection the bird proved to be a female, but with no 

 marked development of the ovaries. 



This peculiar phase of plumage in the Cuckoo has been long 

 known and described by several continental writers, but is of 

 such infrequent occurrence in England as to deserve some notice 

 when met with. So long ago as 1778, Sparrman figured an 

 example in his * Museum Carlsonianum,' Fasc. iii. pi. 55, under 

 the name Cuculus hepaticus. In 1802, Bechstein, in his ' Ornitho- 

 logisches Taschenbuch,' described it as Cuculus rufus (Theil i. 

 p. 84). As from what follows it will be seen that there is a 

 difference of opinion as to whether it is a young bird before or 

 after its first moult, it may be well to quote here Bechstein's de- 

 scription, which is as follows: — 



" Rothbrauner Kuckuck (G. rufus, mihi). Braunroth mit 

 schwarzen Queerstreifen ; der Schwanz rothbraun, mit breiten 

 winklichen schwarzen Queerstreifen. 



" Variirt in der Farbe ; denn das Weibchen ist minder regel- 

 massig gezeichnet, und auf dem rothbraunen Riicken schwarzlich 

 und weiss gesprengt. 



" Anmerk. Es hat mir immer geschienen, als wenn dieser 

 Vogel eine besondere Art sey ; Andere geben ihn aber fiir eine 

 blosse Farben-varietat aus, und zwar fiir ein junges Weibchen." 



