CACOMANTIS. 
243 
Victoria, who procured them on the outskirts of the Mallee 
country in the Wimmera district, in September 1882. The nest 
was built in the upright fork of a Casuarina about fifteen feet 
from the ground, and is similar in every respect to that of S. 
chrysoptera; hence its description would be merely a repetition of 
that of the nest of the latter species. Eggs three in number for a 
sitting, the ground colour darker, and the blotches heavier, than 
in <S'. chrysoptera, being a deep bluish-white, with long slaty-black 
markings, while appearing underneath the surface of the shell are 
large superimposed blotches of dark lilac, which in some instances 
are confluent; the markings on the under surface are much larger 
and more numerous than on the outer surface of the shell. Length 
(A) 066 x 0'51 inch ; (B) 0-66 x 0-53 inch ; (C) 0-G7 x 0-54 inch.” 
(North, P.L.S., N.S.W., Vol. ii., 2nd Series, p. 409.) 
Hah. New South Wales, Interior,Victoria and South Australia, 
West and South-West Australia. (Ramsay.') 
Family CULCULID^E. 
Genus CACOMANTIS, Muller. 
CACOMANTIS PALLIDUS, Latham. 
(Guculus inornatus, Vigors and Ilorsfield.) 
Pallid Cuckoo. 
Gould, Ilandbk. Bds. Anst., Vol. i., sp. 378, p. 615. 
“ In the neighbourhood of Sydney this species usually deposits 
its egg in the nests of Plilotis auricomis, and occasionally in 
those of Plilotis chrysops, but rarely in those of Melithreptus 
lunnlatus; in other districts, doubtless, in any nests suitable for 
the purpose. I have frequently observed that whenever the eggs 
of Cuckoos have been deposited in open nests, there is manifested 
a decided preference for those of birds which lay eggs similar to 
their own. The eggs of the Unadorned Cuckoo (C. inornatus)* 
* = C. pallidus, Latham. 
