363 
on Dr. Jerdon’s f Birds of India. 3 
specimens of it from those two localities. They correspond in 
size to C. canorus and C. striatus respectively, but have a com¬ 
paratively large bill, pale dusky-brown irides, embrowned grey 
upper parts and rather widely barred lower parts from the 
breast, tail but slightly graduated, except its outermost feathers, 
and a peculiar unbarred nestling-plumage, with much white 
bordering the feathers above. The smaller race is the familiarly 
known BhoJcatdko of India (so designated from its note), 
which is commonly kept as a cage-bird by the natives. Col. 
Tytler remarks that the note of the Bhokatako is very like that 
of the Himalayan Pomatorhinus erytlirogenys. As he observes, 
Bhow kuttah kho signifies in Bengali, “ Daughter-in-law, tell a 
tale ”; and there is quite an Ovidian story of a metamorphosis 
connected with the name. He further remarks that “ the note 
sounds very like a double ‘ cuckoo/ thus, f cuckoo-cuckoo 3 33 
(Ann. Mag. N. H. 1854, xiii. 367). The larger of the two 
races is evidently that observed in Eastern Siberia by Herr 
Radde, as noticed in the f Natural History Review 3 (Oct. 1865, 
p. 459). He alludes to its “ double note,” referring doubtless 
to its double cuckoo-cry, which would thus be similar to that of 
the other and smaller race. 
205. Hierococcyx varius. 
I am not sure that I have seen this species, as recognized by 
Dr. Jerdon and myself, from <( Burmah and Malayana; ” but it 
probably extends over the Indo-Chinese countries, though not 
passing into the Malayan peninsula. It is common in the 
Dacca district of Eastern Bengal. 
206. Hierococcyx nisicolor. 
I have now seen several examples of this bird, all from the 
South-eastern Himalaya, and am well satisfied that it is a 
distinct race. The largest adult measured 7 inches in length 
of wing. Mr. Hodgson figures it with white irides ! Horsfield’s 
only specimen of H. fugax in the India Museum is in immature 
plumage, and quite resembles that figured as Cuculus sparverioides 
by Von Schrenck; Mr. Swinhoe showed me a similar specimen 
from China, and Mr. Wallace has one from Borneo, while Dr. 
Sclater’s supposed H. varius from Borneo (P. Z. S. 1863, p. 209) 
