THE BIRDS OF LIBERIA 673 
more and better material would show slight differences. There is apparently no 
previous record for the species either from Liberia or elsewhere among the 
neighboring countries. 
TRERONIDAE Green Fruit Pigeons 
Vinago calva sharpei Reichenow. Sierra Leone Green Pigeon; ‘‘Mangrove Pigeon”’ 
Vinago calva sharpei Reichenow, Ornith. Monatsber., vol. 11, p. 45, 1902: Upper Guinea. 
Above olive green except base of neck and the tail which are blue-gray; primaries black, nar- 
rowly and greater wing-coverts broadly edged with pale yellow; bend of wing vinaceous; below 
yellowish green; tibia yellow; longest under tail-coverts chestnut, the shorter ones whitish with 
olive-green central area. Iris and base of bill scarlet, feet yellow. Sierra Leone to Calabar. 
While Sclater does not recognize the fruit pigeons as a family distinct from 
the Columbidae, the possession of an additional pair of tail feathers, short beak, 
and the peculiar coloration are striking features of the group. These beautiful 
pigeons are common and well distributed in the wooded parts of Liberia, es- 
pecially on the edges of high forest or where there are patches of tree growth left 
between cultivated areas. They are silent birds, only occasionally giving a soft 
coo almost like a low growl. So well does their color blend with the green and 
yellow lights among which they live that one does not appreciate their extremely 
beautiful and variegated coloring until the specimen is examined apart from its 
natural surroundings. They have a way of sitting quietly, in pairs sometimes, 
or in small flocks after the breeding season, remaining nearly motionless among 
the branches for moments at a time. On September 7, at Gbanga, I watched one 
in a small tree by the river. It finally picked off a small dead twig and flew with 
it crosswise in its bill to a branch nearly over my head but presently dropped it 
and fell to eating some small berries growing close by, — a very quiet bird of 
deliberate motions. In early November we saw small flocks and Biittikofer 
mentions that they gather after the breeding season in large flocks, visiting the 
coastal regions from the interior, feeding on mangrove buds; or, again, at Hill 
Town, he records a flock that in January came every morning to feed on the 
small berry-like fruit of a species of fig tree. Lowe found them abundant on the 
south coast at Settra Kru in the same month. 
CUCULIFORMES Cuckoos 
CUCULIDAE 
Cuculus canorus Linné. European Cuckoo 
Cuculus canorus Linné, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, vol. 1, p. 110, 1758: Sweden. 
Head, wings, and body blue-gray, wings with a brownish tint; breast and belly white with dark 
barring. Tail long, blackish, the feathers tipped and spotted with white. Size of a sparrow hawk, 
length 13.5 inches. 
This is a breeding bird of Europe, wintering in Africa, but hitherto it seems 
never to have been taken in Liberia. It is therefore interesting to record an 
adult male shot November 6, 1926, by Mr. M. A. Cheek, just outside the town 
