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Show 1870.] MR. P. L. SCLATER ON THE GENUS COCCYZUS. 165 2. Further Notes on the Cuckoos of the Genus Coccyzus. By P. L. S C L A T E R , M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S., Secretary to the Society. In an article " On the Species of the American Genus Coccyzus," published in this Society's ' Proceedings for 1864 (p. 119 et seqqi), I separated from Coccyzus americanus a Jamaican specimen, under the name of C. bairdi, distinguishing it by the absence of rufous colour on the outer wing-margins, smaller size, purer white colour below, and other minor differences. Since that time Mr. W . T. March, so well known by his excellent notes on the birds of Jamaica *, has kindly sent me several skins of the Coccyzus americanus of that island for comparison, and I have also obtained other specimens of this bird from various localities. After carefully examining all these, I have come to the conclusion that G. bairdi is not tenable as a species, the skin on which it was founded being in fact merely an individual variety of C. americanus. I have also been lately able to compare together a larger series of the two " Mangrove Cuckoos," Coccyzus seniculus sive minor and C. nesiotes, than I had formerly been able to examine, and am now of opinion that the latter so-called species of Cabanis and Heine is not fairly separable from the former. This reduces the number of species of Coccyzus, as given in my list (P. Z. S. 1864, p. 120), by two. On the other hand we must add Coccyzus cinereus oi Vieillot, of which, as already stated in these Proceedings-)*, 1 have lately examined several specimens, and which proves to be a most distinct species, and Coccyzus ferrugineus of Gould, which was omitted in m y former list. This raises the total number of valid species to eight again, which may be arranged as follows: - A. Species cauda valde graduata ; mandibula ad basin flava. a. Supra pallide cinerei unicolores. a'. Infra albus 1. americanus. b'. Infra ochraceus 2. minor. b. Supra rufus: pileo cinereo 3. ferrugineus. B. Species cauda valde graduata; rostro nigro. a. Supra fusci. a'. Pileo concolori: subtus albus 4. erythrophthalmus. b'. Pileo cinereo : subtus ochraceus 5. melanocoryphus. b. Supra subtusque rufus : pileo plumbeo '... 6. landsberyi. C. Species cauda fere oequali: rostro nigro. a. Pectore pallide cinereo 7. cinereus. b. Pectore kete rufo 8. pumilus. 1. COCCYZUS AMERICANUS. Cuculus americanus, Linn. S. N. i. p. 170. Cuculus carolinensis, Wils. A m . Orn. iy. p. 13, pl. 28. f. 1. Coccyzus pyrrhopterus, Vieill. Enc. Me'th. p. 1343. * Proc. Acad. Sc. Phil. 1863, pp. 150 et 283. t P. Z. S. 1869, p. 633. |