OCR Text |
Show 1873.] OF THE ETHIOPIAN REGION. 579 the African Cuculidce, which seem to me to rest on natural characters, and I therefore divide them into two subfamilies, viz. Cuculinee and Phcenicophdince *. The former have feathered legs and weak feet, but excel in their powerful flight, while the latter are creeping bush-haunting birds, many of them frequenting the ground. They may be divided by the following characters :- a. Tarsi feathered anteriorly; thigh-feathers long, hiding the tarsus, as in the birds of prey; nostrils swollen Cuculinee. b. Tarsi robust and naked, or only feathered on the upper part; thigh-feathers ordinary; nostrils not swollen Phcenicophdince_ All the birds included by me in the first subfamily have accipi-trine thigh-feathers, and present another point of importance in the swollen nostril, which is sufficiently distinct in the dried skin. I cannot find any character in the genus Chrysococcyx to justify its separation from Cuculus, beyond the metallic plumage : this, however, does not seem to m e to be of sufficient importance; for even on species of true Cuculus a slightly glossy shade is visible, and the glittering dress of the African species is approached by gradual gradations exhibited in the Australian members, which have usually been called Lamprococcyx. The Cuculinee have the nasal opening surrounded by a swollen membrane, rounded in Cuculus, a little more oval in Coccystes. These differences are, I think, well pronounced; though it is much to be regretted that collectors are so careless about the preservation of the nostrils of their specimens, thus rendering obsolete a very important element in the classification of birds. In addition to the shape of the nostril, the lanceolate crest of Coccystes is a further distinguishing character. Subfam. 1. CUCULINEE. Key to the genera. a. Nostrils swollen, rounded; no crest 1. Cuculus. b. Nostrils oval; a distinct lanceolate occipital crest 2. Coccystes. Genus 1. CUCULUS. Key to the species. A. Plumage not conspicuously metallic. a. Breast white, barred with black. a'. Upper mandible black, as also the nostrils; lower mandible yellow. a". Throat and upper breast ashy grey. a'". M u c h larger ; above ashy grey, as also the wings 1. canorus. b'". Smaller; above blackish grey, the wings uniform with back 0 2. rochi. b". Upper breast ferruginous. c'". Throat ashy grey 3. solitarius. d'". Throat bright ferruginous, as also the whole of the upper breast 4. gabonensis. * With respect to the Old-World Cuckoos, I see no reason to separate the Centropodincs from the Phmnicophaince, and I therefore adopt the latter lerin on the score of priority. |