THE CUCKOO. 51 



CUCULUS CANORUS 



226, Cuculus canorus canorus L. — THE CUCKOO. 



Cucuxus canorus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 110 (1758 — Europe. 



Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 



Cuculus canorus Linnaeus, Yarrell, 11, p. 387 ; Saunders, p. 287. 



Description. — Adult male. Winter and summer. — -Whole upper- 

 parts slate -grey, rump and upper tail-coverts of a purer colour 

 than rest, upper tail-coverts narrow and elongated and with in- 

 distinct greyish tips ; chin, throat, ear-coverts and upper-breast 

 ashy -grey ; breast, belly and flanks white each feather with brownish- 

 black bars about 1.5 to 2.5 wide and 4-5 mm. apart ; under tail- 

 coverts pale creamy-buff, shorter ones with a few spots or bars 

 or almost without markings, longer ones usually whiter and more 

 regularly barred ; axillaries as flanks but more closely barred ; 

 smaller under wing -co verts more faintly barred and longer ones 

 usually greyer irregularly barred dark grey ; tail bluish -black, 

 greyer at base, feathers tipped white and with white spots varying 

 in size and number on each side of shaft and on edges of inner webb, 

 white spots on outermost pair of feathers and at bases of rest larger 

 and forming irregular bars ; primaries : outer webs dark brownish- 

 grey, inner webs browner with white tooth-like bars on proximal 

 three-quarters and white patch at base of inner feathers (1st 

 primary usually has also some white marks at base of outer web), 

 secondaries same with white bases but without tooth -like white 

 bars ; primary -co verts dark slate-grey ; rest of wing-coverts like 

 mantle but a shade browner. A complete moult takes place in 

 winter-quarters from Nov.-Mar. Adults in April and May in Europe 

 are sometimes moulting body -feathers and I think these are finish- 

 ing their winter-moult. In June and July a heavier and more 

 regular moult of the body -feathers takes place in adults and some- 

 times lesser and median wing-coverts are involved, and I think this 

 must represent a second partial moult in which the wing- and tail- 

 feathers do not participate. 



Adult female. Winter and summer. — Upper-parts like adult 

 male but with slightly more brownish tinge, and edges of lower 

 and upper tail-coverts often barred, or partially barred, white ; grey 

 of throat tinged bumsh -brown and usually not extending so far 

 down ; feathers of lower throat and sides of neck grey, more or 

 less tipped or barred with buff-brown ; feathers of upper-breast 

 buff-brown barred with dark brown, forming an ill-defined and 

 variable breast-band ; rest of under-parts and tail as adult male ; 

 wings and wing-coverts as adult male but slightly browner. Moult 

 as adult male. 



Adult female. " Hepatic " variety. Winter and summer. — A 

 constantly recurring but scarce rufous variety confined to females 

 (one examined sexed male but not on reliable authority) has been 

 vol. n. e 2 



