THE GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOO. 57 



with more bluish tinge and with long white tips ; wing-feathers 

 brown, outer webs and tips darker with slight metallic -green tinge, 

 inner webs margined whitish, tips white, broader on secondaries 

 than primaries ; all wing-coverts dark brown with conspicuous, 

 large, somewhat rounded white tips giving a spotted appearance. 

 This plumage is acquired by complete moult Dec. -Mar. (occasionally 

 Nov. and April). Abrasion causes crown to become paler grey 

 and dark edges and tips of feathers wear off, rest of upper-parts 

 become paler brown and white tips become reduced, metallic 

 tinge in tail- and wing-feathers is lost, chin and throat become paler. 



Nestling. — -(Not examined.) 



Juvenile. — Fore-head and crown black with a minute buff 

 dot at tip of most feathers, which are not so narrow and elongated 

 as in adult ; brown of upper-parts and wing-coverts darker, spots 

 at tips of feathers smaller and creamy not white ; back and rump 

 darker without greyish-white tips ; chin and throat deeper buffish- 

 cream and feathers without dark grey shafts ; under tail -co verts 

 more creamy ; tail as adult but with considerably less white at 

 tips ; primaries chestnut except for their distal quarters which 

 are dark brown with white tips as in adult, 1st primary with con- 

 siderably more brown than rest and 2nd with mixture of brown 

 on outer web ; secondaries as in adult but often with some 

 chestnut down centre of inner feathers ; primary-coverts as 

 adult. 



First summer. — From Jan. to Mar. a moult takes place which 

 varies in extent individually especially in wing -feathers, wing- 

 coverts and tail-feathers of which some almost invariably remain 

 unmoulted. This plumage sometimes resembles that of juvenile 

 but tips of wing-coverts and scapulars are usually rather whiter, 

 though not so long and white as in adult, but sometimes plumage 

 is much like adult but crown darker not so grey and more or 

 less chestnut in primaries, usually mixture of chestnut and 

 brown. 



Measurements and structure. — (J wing 191-222 mm., tail 180- 

 218, tarsus 31-35, bill from skull 28-31 (12 measured). $ wing 

 182-206. Primaries : 1st about half second, 3rd and 4th longest, 

 2nd and 5th 15-20 mm. shorter ; outer webs of primaries not 

 emarginated. Secondaries : outer ones shorter than 10th primary, 

 inner ones about equal, tips rounded. Tail much graduated : 

 central pair longest, next occasionally equal, usually 2-5 mm. 

 shorter, next 5-15 shorter, penultimate 25-40 shorter, outer pair 

 75-95 shorter, ten feathers, narrow, tips sloped off. Bill fairly 

 strong, culmen curved, tip projecting beyond lower mandible. 

 Nostrils small, slit-like, bare of feathers. No rictal or nasal bristles. 

 Toes, long and weak. Tarsal joint feathered. 



Soft parts. — Bill blackish grey-brown, base of lower mandible 

 paler ; legs and feet brownish -grey ; iris dark brown, orbital ring 

 reddish -orange. 



