50 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



end Aug. A few records suggest a small passage-movement west 

 coast (south of Solway) same time. Combined movements con- 

 tinue to third week Sept. (late dates Staffs. Sept. 28, 1909, Kirkcud- 

 bright third week Nov. 1916). 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Europe and temperate north Asia, passing 

 through the Sahara and Egypt, and wintering in tropical Africa and 

 India. Casual Faeroes. Replaced by closely-allied forms in the 

 far east, Sardinia, Algeria and Tunisia. 



Order CUCULI. 



Comprises Cuckoos and Plantain -Eaters (Musophagidce). 

 Palate desmognathous ; cervical vertebrae 14. No basi -pterygoid 

 processes. Vomer very small or absent. Foot with outer toe 

 reversible. Oil-gland bare. Skin very thin and tender. Primaries 

 10, secondaries 9 or 10, in Scyihrops (Australia) 13. Rectrices 10, 

 in Crotophaga (America) 8. Young naked, without down. Sepa- 

 rable into some well-defined subfamilies : Cuculince, in Old and 

 New, Phcenicophaince and Centropodince in Old World only, Croto- 

 phagince New World only. Only Cuculince in Europe. 



Family CUCULID.E. 

 Characters as given above for Cuculi (excluding Musophagidce), 



Key to genera of family Cttculid^e. 



Head crested Clamator, p. 56 



Head not crested 2 



Nostrils round, underside barred Cuculus, p. 50 



Nostrils oval, underside not barred Coccyzus, p. 59 



Genus CUCULUS L. 



Cuculus Linnseus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 110 (1758 — Type by tautonymy : 

 " Cuculus " = Cuculus canorus). 



No crest. Nostrils round. Rump-feathers elongated, stiff 

 and more copious than in other genera of the family, forming a 

 thick bolster, upper tail-coverts very long and somewhat pointed, 

 reaching to about middle of tail. Third primary longest. Tarsus 

 feathered for about two-thirds or three -fourths. Numerous species 

 in all countries, but absent from America. Only one species in 

 Europe. 



