.--Cuculus canoro'ides was described by
Salomon Mfiller in a footnote on page 235 of his "Bijdragen tot de kennis van Timor
en eenige andere naburige eilanden" in "Verhandelingen over de Natuurlijke Gesehie-
denis der Nederlandsche overzeesche bezittingen," edited by Temminck. This
description, which appeared in 1845 (for the dates of publication of the different
parts of the above mentioned work cf. Austral Arian Record, 1: 24, 1912) states
only that the species is in size, strongness of bill and feet, color and pattern quite
as Cuculus canorus. The wing length is given as varying between 190 and 214 min.
The species was said to inhabit Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Timor and probably most
of the islands between, and Malacca and Cochinchina.
Schlegel in his Catalogue (Museum d'Histoire Naturelie des Pays-Bas, Mono-
graphic 25: Cuculi, pp. 7-1 I) enumerated 5 type specimens of canoroides sub norainc
Cuculus striatus. Afterwards Finsob (Notes from the Leyden Museum, 23: 101,
1901) stated that the type specimens of canoro'ides are undoubtedly specimens of
Cuculus canorus. Consequently Hartert (V6gel palarkt. Fauna, Bd. 2, 1912, p.
948) placed the name in the synonymy of Cuculus canorus telephonus with the remark
that it had to be considered a nomen nudum because the description gave no char-
acters to differentiate it from canorus. M'tiller's notes, bad as they are, certainly
qualify as a description, and with the type specimens at hand it is not possible to
consider M'tiller's name a nomen nudum.
A rexamination of the material shows that Finsch's statement is wrong, and that
all the type specimens of canoro'ides are representatives of Cuculus saturatus. The
latter name is older having been first published in 1843. The specimens have te
white (carpal) wing edge unbarred. There are fewer, broader, and more sharply
defined bars on the underparts than normally found in skins of Cuculus canorus
from East Asia. The specimens of canor,ides which have a uniform blue upperside
are slightly darker than specimens of canorus.
In the collections of the Leiden Museum there are no specimens of Cuculus canorus
from the Indo-Australian Archipelago, nor are there any in the extensive Bartels
Collection from Java. Canorus must be a very rare migrant in this region.
The name Cuculus 1/2anoro'ides is older than Cuculus horsfieldi, which now is the
name of the large northern race of Cuculus saturatus, and therefore threatens the
stability of the nomenclature of these cuckoos. The range of variation in the wing
measurements of the type specimens of Cuculus canoro'ides, remeasured by me, is
185 to 215 mm.
As lectotype of Cu1/2ulus canoro'ides, I select an immature bird in the red phase,
with a wing measurement of 187 min., collected by M(iller during August, 1836,
on 0. Doesoen, Poeloe Maja, off the west coast of Borneo (Schlegel catalogue s.n.
Cu1/2ulus striatus no. 34). By this action the name canoro'ides sinks into the synonymy
of Cuculus saturatus saturatus, which has a maximum wing measurement of about
194 mm. (cf. Junge, Temminckia 2: 199-200, 1937), the smallest specimens of hors-
fieldi measuring 192 mm.
For the loan of East Asian skins of Cuculus canorus, I am indebted to the authori-
ties of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, U.S. A.--G. C. A. JuNc,
Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historic, Leiden, Netherlands.