198 
Birds of Celebes'. Cuculidae. 
Skeleton. 
Length of cranium . . 
35.4 mm 
Length of tarso-metatarsus . 
. 15.6 
mm 
Grreatest breadth of do. . . 
. 15.0 
S> 
Length of digitus III . . 
. 18.0 
Length of humerus . . . 
. 23.0 
» 
Length of sternum . . . 
. 20.0 
» 
Length of ulna .... 
. 23.3 
■» 
Greatest breadth of do. . . 
. 15.0 
Length of radius .... 
. 22.0 
» 
Height of crista sterni . . 
. 8.0 
» 
Length of maims .... 
. 23.0 
» 
Length of coracoideum . . 
. 16.0 
» 
Length of metacarpus . . 
. 12.0 
Length of scapula .... 
. 19.0 
Length of digitus princ. . . 
. 11.5 
» 
Length of claA'icle .... 
. 18.0 
» 
Length of femur .... 
. 15.7 
» 
Length of pehds .... 
. 25.0 
Length- of tibia .... 
. 25.5 
» 
Greatest breadth of do. . . 
. 15.0 
» 
Length of fibula .... 
7.0 
» 
Distribution. Celebes: — Mnabassa (Wallace c 1, Meyer al, a2, Fischer h 1, etc.); Mapane, 
X. Centr. Celebes (P, & P. S.); Lmvu, S. Centr. Celebes (Weber 5); Tonkean, E. 
Celebes (Nat. Coll.); Banggai (Nat. Coll.); S. Celebes (P. & E. S. 6, Eyerett 7); 
W. Celebes, Tawaya (Doherty 8). 
The nearest ally of this small Cuckoo appears to be Cacomantis aeruginosus 
Salvad. of Buru, Ceram, Goram and Amboina, a form which Count Salvadori, 
with two specimens from Buru before him, at first identified with it (Ann. 
Mus. Civ. Gen. 1876, VIII, 373), but afterwards separated (op. cit. 1878, XIII, 
458) on the ground that C. aeruginosus differs in the rufous chestnut of the 
under parts being more intense, but less pure and mixed with grey, and extending 
more towards the chin (Orn. Pap. 1880, I. 336). 
Capt. Shelley (1891) again unites the two forms; but, in holding them 
distinct, we accept Salvadori’s more recent view (Orn. Pap., Agg. 1891, 218). 
It may be pointed out that the Celebes form seems to have a shorter wing and 
longer tail than C. aeruginosus-. 
C. virescens: wing ca. 114; tail ca. 135. 
C. aeruginosus: wing ca. 120; tail ca. 114. 
C. merulinus differs in having the upper plumage paler, the grey of the 
throat carried over on to the upper breast; remainder of body below rufous 
buff, not cinnamon-rufous, the inner Avebs of the tail-feathers regularly barred 
with white, most strongly so on the outer feathers (Shelley); in C. virescens the 
bars are reduced to some inconspicuous notches. 
By the grey of the throat being sjaread on to the breast and by the inner 
webs of the tail-feathers being barred, or deeply notched, with white, C. assimilis 
Gray of the Moluccas (var. major Salvad.) and Papuasia may readily be 
distinguished. 
We have seen a specimen from Mr. Nehrkorn’s collection, Nr. 1758, 
Sooloo Islands (Platen), with a deep rufous throat, breast and under surface, 
wing 123, tail 150 (ca.) mm; “Iris braun, Schnabel schwarz. Basis, Augenring 
und Fiisse gelblich”. This appears to be a new species, unless it is C. sepulchralis 
which Shelley unites Avith C. merulinus. Dr. Sharpe (Ibis 1894, 247, 258) 
records from Sooloo C. merulinus only. 
