Part 49

The Brush Cuckoo is rare. In fact, considerable difficulty was experienced in obtaining a specimen for the photograph above, as there was no named specimen in the National Museum. Thanks to Messrs. Kershaw and French, the difficulty was at last overcome.

The Bronze Cuckoos are very similar. They will be immediately recognized by the under-surface barred brown and white, and the golden-green or bronze lustre of the dark back. The New Zealand Bronze-Cuckoo migrates from N.E. Australia and New Guinea. Apparently it sometimes migrates down the East Coast, instead of to New Zealand.

The Narrow-billed Bronze Cuckoo has a narrower bill, and the centre tail feathers are brownish-chestnut at the base. While the birds are so similar, their eggs are quite unlike. The Bronze Cuckoo lays a bronze egg, generally in dome-shaped or covered nests. It is sometimes found in Tits' nests. The Narrow-billed Bronze Cuckoo has a red-speckled egg, which is placed often in an open or cup-shaped nest.

The last Cuckoo--the Channel-bill--is one of the largest of Cuckoos. It is a northern bird, which very rarely reaches the southern part of the continent. Its large bill is characteristic. Its tail is large, and often spread out fanwise, thus giving a majestic appearance to the bird. Its call is not pleasing, as it is described by Gould as a "frightful scream," and again as consisting of "awful notes." It lays its eggs sometimes in the nest of a Sparrowhawk (not Kestrel), or in the nest of a Magpie, Bell-Magpie (Strepera), or even of a Crow. It appears with the first flood-waters, and follows the rivers from the Gulf of Carpentaria watershed down to Cooper's Creek and Lake Eyre.

One large Australian Cuckoo builds its own nest, and rears its own young. This bird, however, does not visit Southern Australia.

In addition to the interest of their habits and life history, Cuckoos are amongst the most valuable of insectivorous birds. Few birds will eat the vine caterpillar or hairy caterpillar. The Cuckoos, however, are very fond of these, and so should be encouraged. They do no harm to anything we need.

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ORDER XIX.--COCCYGES.

F. 95. Musophagidae, Plantain-eaters, Touracos, 35 sp. E.

F. 96. CUCULIDAE (14), CUCKOOS (Cuckows), 202 sp.--61(50)A., 57(42)O., 8(0)P., 55(51)E., 8(0)Nc., 43(35)Nl.

2 11

=229* Pallid Cuckoo= (Unadorned), Harbinger-of-Spring, Scale (Semitone, Brain-fever, Storm) Bird, Mosquito (Grasshopper) Hawk, Cuculus inornatus, A., T. =vt Eur. Cuckoo. [~229 Cuculus pallidus.]

Mig. v.c. open, timber 12

Upper brown; under gray; tail barred white, brown; eyelash yellow; white at edge wing; wing spotted, marked lighter; f., upper mottled whitish, rufous. Caterpillars, insects. Runs up scale, calls frequently at night.

3 13

=230* Fan-tailed Cuckoo=, Ash-colored, Cacomantis rufulus (flabelliformis), Aru Is., A., T.

Mig. c. open, timber 10

Head, upper dark slate-gray; under rust-red; throat gray; tail dark toothed with white; white edge of wing; eyelash citron-yellow; f., smaller. Caterpillars, insects. Sad trill often repeated.

=231 Square-tailed Cuckoo= (Brush), C. flabelliformis (variolosus), Mol., Timor, N.G., A.

Mig. v.r. open timber 9.2

Like 230, but smaller; tail feathers toothed with white on inner web only; f., sim. Insects.

1 1

=232 Black-eared Cuckoo=, Mesocalius palliolatus, Mol., Aru Is., A. [~232 Misocalius palliolatus.]

Mig. v.r. scrub 7.5

Head, upper, wings glossy olive-brown; shoulder darker; tail olive-brown tipped white; side tail feather five white bars; behind ear a narrow black streak; above this a lighter patch; under pale-brown; f., duller. Insects. Feeble plaintive note.

5 15

=233 Narrow-billed Bronze Cuckoo=, Chalcococcyx basalis, Mal. Pen., Java, Cel., to A., T.

Mig. c. open, timber 6.2