Bulletin - United States National Museum - si-pddr - Smithsonian ...

190 BULLETIN 133, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM
and worked rapidly tlirougli the l)ranches of the trees. Their flight
was direct, and seldom high above the earth. The small wings and
long tail give them the appearance in the air usual in allied species.
The young bird taken, barely from the nest, had the inside of the
mouth ornamented with a series of tubercles dead white in color
that outlined the throat cavity in a startling manner when the
mouth was opened. Four lay at the angles of the pharynx, one
ornamented the tongue, and five somewhat less prominent were
found on the palate. Against a duller background their pure white
color stood out prominently. Such ornaments, visible only when
the mouth is fully opened must serve as directive markings to assist
the adults in placing food properly, when feeding the young.
The 3"oung bird, not yet fully fledged, has the throat and breast
grayish white and the wings, tail, and dorsal surface in general with
a faint rufescent wash that is absent in the adults. The adult male,
taken April 8, had renewed all of the flight feathers save the tenth
primary. The adult female secured the day previous has renewed
all save the third and sixth primaries and some of the secondaries.
The female, taken December 23, had the bill black; bare skin
around eye hydrangea red ; iris pomegranate purple ; tarsus and toes
deep neutral gray ; claws black.
COCCYZUS MELACORYPHUS (VieUlot)
Coccysus melacoryplius Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., vol. 8, 1817, p. 271.
(Paraguay.)
The present cuckoo is a thicket-haunting species found in low
scrub, so shy that it is difficult to observe. Near Rio Negro, Uruguay,
from February 14 to 19, 1920, I found these birds on their breeding
grounds in heavy brush that bordered streams. Here they were ob-
served searching for food among leafy branches from :) to 6 meters
from the ground, or were heard calling, a low, guttural cuh-h-hy
audible only a short distance awa}'. They were shy and nervous
and sought safer cover whenever they found that they were seen.
On February 15 one was seen carrying food to young, while on February
18 two in Juvenal plumage, fully grown, were taken. Adult
males taken February 15 and 19 and females shot on February 14
and 18 are in full breeding plumage. The two young (male and
female), secured February 18, are slightly duller brown above than
adults and have the light markings on the tail diffuse and not sharply
delimited. The young apparently molt the retrices before the next
breeding season.
At Tapia, Tucuman, two males were taken in the thickets frequented
by Micrococcyx cinereus on April 7 and 12. These, both
adult, are in process of molt on head, neck, and breast and are
renewing the quill feathers. In one molt of the primaries has begun