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PICARIAN BIRDS. 
varied in form and habits, some being entirely parasitic, while others build nests. 
They are divided into six subfamilies; and while the usual number of tail-feathers 
is ten, in one group ( Crotophagince ) only eight are present: the other subfamilies 
being well distinguished. 
The first representatives of the typical subfamily Cuculince are 
crested Cuckoos. creg ^ e( j cuc p 00S) which, in common with the other members of 
the group, have pointed wings, and are strong fliers. The genus is distinguished 
GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOO (f Iiat. size). 
by the presence of a crest on the head; and of its eight species five are African, 
while one (Coccystes jacobinus) is common to Africa and India, another ( C. 
coromandus ) is peculiar to the Indian region, and the last is European. Although 
the great spotted cuckoo ( C. glandarius ) has twice occurred in England, its home 
is in South-Western Europe and the Mediterranean countries, extending thence 
through Syria and Asia Minor to Persia, while in winter the bird ranges into 
Africa, as far as Cape Colony. It is of an ashy brown colour, white below, with 
a buff-coloured throat, and is easily distinguished by its crested grey head and 
long tail, which is broadly tipped with white. The length of the bird is about 
