18 Notices and Descriptions of various New [No. 169. 



tends southward to the Tenasserim Provinces, and one female from 

 thence has the wing fully five inches long ; that of M. gularis measures 

 four inches and three-quarters.* 



Cuculidce. The oriental species of true Cuculus are still far from being 

 definitively understood. First, there is the deep-coloured bird, otherwise 

 resembling C. fugax of India, described as C. nisicolor, Hodgson, in 

 XII, 943, but which I renounced as a species in XIV, 204. A Ma- 

 lacca specimen in Lord A. Hay's collection, however, renders this again 

 doubtful, and it will perhaps prove to be the veritable C. fugax of the 

 Malay countries.! Then, I suspect that I have confounded three species 

 under C. micropterus, Gould : viz. — 1, C. saturatus, Hodgson, (XII, 

 942,) the supposed old birds, with upper-parts "uniform pure dark 

 ashy," mentioned in my description of C. micropterus, in XI, 903 ; and 

 these seem also to have the under- parts more closely barred than in true 

 C. micropterus, and are altogether more complete miniatures of C. cano- 

 rus, having the dimensions of C. micropterus. It inhabits the Hima- 

 laya. (This must be regarded as a doubtful species, however, as yet.) — 

 2, C. micropterus verus, with a larger bill than in C. canorus, the under- 

 pays more distantly barred, the upper-parts of a bronzed ash-brown, 

 and not pure dark ashy, the irides pale dusky, and the orbits and feet 

 light wax-yellow : the Bokuttdcko of the natives. Inhabits India generally, 

 but is more numerous in the hills. — 3, C. qffinis, A. Hay. Decidedly a 

 good species, resembling C. canorus in size, and C. micropterus in form 

 and colouring ; length of wing eight inches and a half, or an inch more 

 than in C. micropterus. Common in Malacca, and not improbably 

 the Javanese variety of C. canorus of Dr. Horsfield's list. In addition to 

 these, we have C. sparverioides, of the same minimum group as C. fugax 

 and C. nisicolor „• and also C. canorus, and the little C. poliocephalus (v. 

 himalayanus, Vigors), pertaining to the same minimum group as the 

 other species mentioned. I kept for about a year a pair of C. canorus 

 (indicus), for a long while in the same cage: upon separating them, the 



* P. ceylonus, Forst., (v. P. neglectus, Wagler ,) is a species obtained in Ceylon by 

 Lord A. Hay. 



f Since writing the above, I have seen Mr. Jerdon's statement to the same effect, 

 Madr. Jour. No. XXXI, 140. Mr. J. thinks that the common Indian species should 

 be termed C. Lathami, Gray. I may add that his specimen of C. Sonneratii which 

 he refers to, is perfectly identical in species with others from Malacca. 



