mm
head, back of the neck, the back, wing-covert's, quill-feathers;
and the two central taiWeathers, yellowish brown.; theTinner
webs of the primary quill-feathers chestnut;.,the tail-feather
on each side-of the central pair , black ; the others] black,
broadly tipped with white; - the "outer] feather white on , the
external web ; ,the tail graduated ; 'chin, th ro a t,.n e ^ in front,
breast,^helly; -and .under-tail qo^ertS;^greyish white; _the
flanks and thighs pale brown ; legjs, toes, and claws, greyish
lead'colour.
The whole length of the; bird about twelve inches. From
the carpal joint to the end .of “the.wing, flve inches and fiy^,'
eighths; the first quill-feather more thah-an inch .^hoytejJihan
the second r theiaecond. shorter than the third or: ifourth^bW
equal to the fifth ; ithe third feather longer- than. fourth,
and the longest'in the wing.
The. Yellow-billed Cuck-oo is an ;,elegantly-formed.
The. figure and description 'here^iven were taken ..from th e '
specimen killed in Wales] |
The fenaale<4iffers very little from: the male in colour^.,.,
The vignetteJbelpwfis a representation of the bfeast-botie
and the foot-of our common Cuckoo.
MEROPIDJE.
‘i'is HJiusi'Ii'Lf;*
T H E ROLLER.
COracias gi ■rula, Garrulous Roller, P enh’. Brit. Zool. vol. i. p . 300*
Mont. Ornith. D ie t.’ „ The „
,, Garrulous ,,
,, , .' ^T,he ■; - - , , Rollier vulgaire
B eWick, Brit. Birds, Vdl; i. p. 106.
F eem. Brit. An. pv88.
Seeby, Brit. Ornith. vol. i. p. 117.
J enyns, Brit. Vert. p. 156.
> Gould, Birds of Europe, pt. v.
T emm. Mutt, d’Ornith. vol. i. p.. 127.
“Coracias. Generic Characters.—Beat of moderate size, compressed, straight,
witja-cutti’ng edges, upper mandible curved downwards at the point ; gape wide;
the-sides'.bristled. Nostrils basal, lateral, linear, pierced obliquely, partly hid
by a membrane furnished with feathers. Legs with the tarsu& shorter than the
middle toe ; three toes in front, and one behind. Wings long ; the first quill-
feather a little shorter than the second, which is the longest in the wing.
o 2