186 
Birds of Celebes: Cuculidae. 
crossed with 5 black bars, the siibterminal one nmch the broadest; in front of eye 
white; chin slaty grey; under surface white, chest washed with rufous, breast and 
sides streaked here and there with brown; under wing-coverts white with a few 
streaks of brownish; quills below shining dusky, barred on the inner webs — except 
towards free end of wing — with white, which gradually increases in extent until at 
their bases the quills are all white. Wing 200 mm; tail 160; tarsus 22; mid. toe 
without claw 23; hill from nostril 16. 
“Bill black, below yellow-green; orbit yellow-green; feet light yellow; iris brown” 
(Platen in Mus. ISTelirkorn, specimen from Burukan, N. Celebes, 28. I. 85). 
Adult. Uniform slaty grey above. 
Young. Upper surface barred all over with rufous and brown (except head, which is getting 
smoky grey); tail, tail-coverts and secondaries as in the above- described 
under surface strongly washed with rufous and marked with broad streaks of rich 
brown (Q Mindoro; Platen in Mus. Uehrkorn, Ur. 2485). 
Distribution. Lower Amoor (Maack e 7); Japan (Seehohm f 3)\ China (Gld. cl, c II, 
Styan 45); Philippines (Cabanis d 1, Everett d 3, Maitland-Heriot f 2, Steere 
d 4, B. & W. 47); North Celebes — Grorontalo (Piedel g 1)', Burukan (Platen in 
Mus. Uehrk.); Borneo (Everett 44^'«, 44, Fischer, Schwaner 5^«, 44); Java (Horsf. 
a 4); Sumatra (Beccari 4, Klaesi 9, Modigl. 44); Singapore (Kelham 5); Perak, 
Malacca (Wray 4d); Salanga (A. Mull. 8). 
In his Catalogue of the Cuckoos (12) Cajot. Shelley includes under the 
title Hierococcyac fugaai three forms, H. fugax, H.hyperythrus^) and H.nisicolor, which 
have been commonly treated by other authors as distinct. According to Major 
Wardlaw Bamsay H. hyperythrus has the “rufous (of the under surface) darker, 
uniform, or nearly so”, inhabits Japan, Amoorland, China, and the Philippines, 
the young birds being found in Borneo and Malacca, and perhaps Sumatra and 
Java in winter; 77. nisicolor has the “rufous paler, mixed with white” and ranges 
from the Himalayas to Tenasserim, descending perhaps into the Malay Peninsula; 
H.fugax is a species which in maturity retains a plumage like 7Z. hyperythrus 
juv.; its distribution is not definitely stated (f 2). We conclude that a stationary 
race breeding in the East India Islands is intended; but, if so. Major Bamsay 
is in error in applying to it the name H. fugaa^ H or since that bird has a 
grey, not a brown, back (a 1). Capt. Shelley finds the type to be an adult of the 
large series of examples comprehended by him under the title H.fugaoc^ a grey- 
backed species when adult, under which the types of H. nisicolor wod hyperythrus 
are also included. 
Not taking into further consideration H. nisicolor, of which Hume & Davison 
say that “of course it cannot be confounded with fugaoc which has a very much longer 
bill” (5) and the distinctness of which is upheld by Blanford in his recent work, it 
appears to us highly probable that Major Bam say’s opinion as to the distinctness 
of 77. hyperythrus, subspecific at least, from H. fugaoc, the resident form of the East 
Indies, is correct. Mr, Everett discovered 77. breeding on Kini Balu; “I 
found this species laying in the nest of Culicicapa ceylonensis on the 29^^ April. The 
1) Tbe type of C. hyperythrus in the British Museum is labelled Manila. 
