246 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



about one inch and a half longer than the lateral; legs rather short; 

 toes long, slender. A small bare space around the eye, and a dis- 

 tinct naked membrane at the corner of the mouth. Bill wider at 

 base, and thicker than that of C. cinerascens. 



Dimensions. — Total length (of skin), about nine and a half inches; 

 wing, five inches; tail, five and one-eighth inches. "Extent of wings, 

 fourteen and a half inches" (Mr. Peale). 



Colors. — Head above, back, rump, and wings, dark olive-brown, 

 with a faint greenish bronze-like lustre, darkest on the rump. Entire 

 under parts rufous, pale on tbe throat and mixed with cinereous, darker, 

 approaching chestnut-color on the abdomen and under coverts of the 

 tail. Cheeks olive-brown, every feather with a central stripe of pale 

 ashy white. Quills olive-brown, each with a large spot of white on its 

 inner web, forming a conspicuous band running obliquely across the 

 wing, obvious on its under surface. Tail above brownish-black, with 

 a faint purple lustre ; every feather tipped, and with either bands or 

 pairs of spots of white. " Upper mandible dusky ; lower mandible, 

 and corners of the mouth orange ; eyelids and feet pale yellow ; iris 

 light yellowish-brown; claws black. Male." (Mr. Peale.) 



Hab. — Feejee Islands. Specimen in Coll. Exp. Exp. Washington 

 City. 



In general appearance, this Cuckoo considerably resembles the com- 

 mon Australian species, above mentioned, from which it is, however, 

 clearly distinct. The much wider and thicker bill on this bird is a 

 strong distinctive character, in addition to which, it is smaller, and 

 the colors darker, though bearing a strong general resemblance to those 

 of the bird mentioned. Though presenting these points of resemblance, 

 it may easily be distinguished on comparison. 



One specimen only is in the collection, and is that of an adult male, 

 represented in our plate of the natural size. 



Of this bird Mr. Peale observes : 



" The specimen from which our description is drawn, was in perfect 

 plumage when killed, at Sandalwood Bay, in the Feejee Islands, on 

 the 20th of July. Its voice was not heard ; its actions were some- 

 what remarkable, the common position when sitting on a branch being 



