THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
Vigors and Horsfield described a Cuckoo as Cuculus cineraceus, and followed 
with Cuculus incertus, observing under the latter ; “ Mr. Caley in his Notes seems 
to consider this bird as the young of the last species. It differs much in the 
ground-colour of the upper-parts, and in the fasciae of the lower ; while the 
spots on the tail are ferruginous instead of being white. These, however, are 
differences which may be easily supposed to take place in the different stages of 
growth ; our own Cuckoo differs nearly as much in its early and adult ages. 
But there is one character in which the two birds before us differ, and which is 
seldom found to vary at different times in the same species ; that is, the colour 
of the under wing-coverts. These are ferruginous in C. cineraceus, and white 
fasciated with fuscous in the bird now before us. We are therefore inclined to 
keep the birds separate, until future observation in their own country determine 
the point ; expressing at the same time Mr. Caley’s and our own doubts on the 
subject.” 
Gould’s notes are somewhat scanty reading : “ This is a migratory species, 
arriving in Tasmania in September, and after spending the summer months 
therein, departing to the northward in January and February. In the southern 
parts of the continent of Australia solitary individuals remain throughout the 
winter, as evidenced by my having observed it round Adelaide in July ; I have 
never seen individuals from the north coast ; I therefore infer that its migratory 
movements are somewhat restricted ; in all probabihty the 26th degree of 
latitude may be the extent of its range to the northward. During the summer 
months, its distribution over the southern portion of the continent may be said 
to be universal, but withal it is rather a solitary bird and loves to dwell in 
secluded situations, where, but for its long ringing caU, which much resembles 
its aboriginal name, it would easily escape detection. It flies rather heavily, 
and on alighting moves the tail up and down for some time : a similar movement 
of the tail also invariably precedes its taking flight. Like the other species of 
Cuckoo, it deposits its single egg in the nest of some one or other of the smaller 
kinds of birds. . . . The food consists of the larvae of insects of various kinds.” 
Mr. Thos. P. Austin Avrites from Cobbora, New South Wales : “ The 
Fan-tailed Cuckoo is never very numerous in this district, but a few arrive every 
spring, and is of a much more retiring nature than the Pallid Cuckoo. It prefers 
the more heavily timbered country and scrubs, not so often seen in the open 
forests or ‘ ring-barked ’ paddocks. They are very tame, lazy birds, and will 
often not flush from a tree until an intruder is almost beneath, then will take a 
short, laboured flight to another tree, where immediately upon alighting they 
elevate their tail. I am of the opinion that they have two or more call-notes, 
but as th&y are Yery seldom heard at all, I have not been able to satisfy myself 
about this ; but one day while riding along the edge of a scrub, I heard a bird’s 
314 
