Annals of the Transvaal Museum 
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remaining species lay immaculate eggs, so far as present records go. 
Oxylophus Swainson, type Cuculus cafer Lctit., which lays greenish-blue 
eggs, has the first primary much shorter than the secondaries, the second 
equal to the seventh, fourth and fifth equal and longest and the third 
rather shorter than the fourth and fifth; it is also larger than the following 
species and is further distinguished by having the underparts white with 
bold dark stripes. Melanococcyx Wurt. (cf. Richmond, Proc. U.S. Nat. 
Mus. Liii. 602, 1917) is evidently a synonym of Oxylophus. The name of 
Edolius Lesson (1830), type Cuculus senatus Sparrmann, is preoccupied 
by Edolius Cuvier (1817), and I therefore re-name it Melanolophus, type 
C. serratus Sparrmann; this genus is characterised by having the first 
primary slightly shorter than the secondaries, the second primary equal 
to the sixth, the third and fifth equal and shorter than the fourth, which is 
longest. C. jacohinus Boddaert might be placed in a new subgenus under 
the name of Cecractes on the difference in colour, the shape of the wing 
the same as in Melanolophus, in common with which it lays pure white eggs. 
The genus Cuculus as contained in text-books comprises a number of 
distinct genera, three of which are represented in South Africa, namely : 
Cuculus Linne, type C. canorus L. : colour grey and white; outermost primary 
equal to or longer than the seventh, the second equal to the fourth and the 
third longest. 
NotOCOCC}!^*: gen. nov., type Cuculus solitarius Stephen: colour slate, white and 
reddish; wing shorter than in Cuculus, the first primary shorter than the 
eighth, second shorter than the fourth. It comes nearest to Cacomantis 
of Asia, from which it differs in having the tail feathers more rounded. 
Surniculoides gen. nov., type Cuculus clamosus Latham: colour entirely 
black; wing formula as in Notococcyx] but rump feathers more plume-like. 
It is most closely allied to Surniculus of Asia, from which it differs in 
having the tail rounded, not squared or forked. 
Mathews (Austral. Av. Rec. i. 4, 1912) has shown that the type species 
of Chrysococcyx Boie is Cuculus cupreus Latham, the equivalent of C. 
smaragdineus Swainson, and that Metallococcyx Reichenow is therefore a 
synonym, while the two species commonly referred to Chrysococcyx should 
be placed under Lampromorpha, type L. chalcopepla Vigors (= cupreus 
Boddaert). Recent authors have not adopted Mathews finding that the 
names of C. caprius Boddaert and C. cupreus Latham are identical, the 
former having been printed caprius in error; but I must admit, after 
studying Boddaert’s paper, that I am of Mathew’s opinion, this paper 
abounding in misprints, and the adoption of this reading obviates possible 
confusion of two very distinct species. “Chrysococcyx” klaasi (Stephen) 
is much smaller than cupreus, side by side with which it occurs quite 
commonly during the breeding season, and it may therefore be separated 
under the name of Adamatornis gen. nov. 
Bannerman (This, 1912, p. 244) has shown that two species of Emerald 
Cuckoo are commonly confused, the typical one being resident in West 
Africa and the other dispersed over Africa, occurring to the southernmost 
parts of the continent as a migrant. The migrant must bear the name of 
Chrysococcyx intermedius Hartlaub; it differs in having the tail shorter in 
proportion to the wing, and may therefore be separated as a new subgenus 
under the name of Adetococcyx. 
