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Show 582 MR. R. B. SHARPE ON THE CUCULIDAE [Julie 17, February 1865 (Andersson); Ondonga, Ovampo, December 1866 (Andersson) ; Biballa (Anchieta). S. A F R I C A : Natal (Ayres). 2. CUCULUS ROCHI. Cuculus canorus, Desjard. P. Z. S. 1832, p. 111. Cuculus rochii, Hartl. P. Z. S. 1862, p. 224 (descr. orig.) ; Roch & Newt. Ibis, 1863, p. 166; E. Newt. Ibis, 1863, p. 453; Schl. P. Z. S. 1866, p. 424 ; Schl. & Poll. Faun. Madag. Ois. p. 53 (1868); Gray, Hand-1. B. ii. p. 215 (1870); Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 399 ; id. Cat. Afr. B. p. 12 (1871). Cuculus himalayanus, Grand. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1867, p. 418. Adult. Above dark cindery grey, the lores a little tinged with brownish, the middle of the back and scapulars glossed in certain lights with dull greenish; lower back and rump more decidedly ashy, the shafts of all the feathers glossy black, and the feathers themselves obsoletely waved in certain lights ; wing-coverts coloured like the back, and glossed with dull greenish in the same manner, excepting the spurious wing, the feathers of which are externally white, thus showing a little white patch on the upper edge of the wing ; quills glossy brown, externally shaded with greenish, the inner web broadly barred with white ; tail glossy black, tipped with white, the two centre feathers marked with a series of equidistant narrow longitudinal white spots along the shaft, the other feathers similarly marked, but the spots rather larger and rounder on the outer feathers, on the inner webs of which appear likewise some irregular white spots, increasing in size and extent towards the outermost feathers, taking at the base of the latter the form of irregular bars, shafts blackish above, white below; cheeks and throat bluish grey, lighter than the head; rest of under surface creamy white, transversely barred with greyish black ; vent and under tail-coverts deep ochraceous buff, the long coverts broadly barred with blackish, the shorter ones less distinctly ; under wing-coverts creamy white, with narrow blackish cross bars ; edge of the wing greyish ; bill black, yellow at base of lower mandible ; gape, orbits, and feet yellow, claws blackish ; iris orange yellow. Total length 12 inches, culmen 0*95, wing 6*7, tail 6*0, tarsus 0*7. Hab. Madagascar (Roch and Newton, Crossley) ; ? Mauritius, Port Louis (E. Newton). Although closely allied to C. poliocephalus (Hand-1. 8990. C. himalayensis), this Cuckoo seems to me to be a distinct species. It is much darker above, and is not so broadly banded underneath, the white interspaces being wider. 3. CUCULUS SOLITARIUS. Le Coucou solitaire, Levaill. Ois. d'Afr. v. pl. 206 (1806); Sundev. Crit. om Levaill. p. 47 (1858). Cuculus solitarius, Steph. Gen. Zool. ix. pt. 1, p. 84, pl. 18 (1815); Gurney, Ibis, 1860, p. 213; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 248 (1867). |
