916 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVIII. 



The identification of the3e beautiful little Cuckoos is, with, the exception of 

 fully adult males, an extremely difficult matter when they are seen only on 

 the wing or high up in trees. Nor is it possible, I should think, to identify 

 them by their calls, Therefore though Mr. Inglis obtained one specimen of 

 the Violet Cuckoo, many of the others which he saw and heard in the vicinity 

 of the Sunbud's breeding haunts may have been Emerald Cuckoos. 



E. C. STUART BAKER, p.l.s., f.z.s. 

 Shillong, 21nt August 1908. 



No. XXL— INDIAN DUCKS AND THEIR ALLIES. 



In the newly published volume on this subject by Mr. Stuart Baker, he 

 seems to have omitted to msntion two records of the Clucking Teal (Netlium 

 for mom in) which were got in India. Finn in his useful little book " How to 

 know the Indian Ducks " on page 89 mentions having got a female Clucking 

 Teal in the Calcutta bazzar in the cold weather of 1898-99 and Mr. M. Mackenzie 

 of Rajaputtee, Chuprah, obtained a male in the Sarun District. These have 

 evidently been overlooked by Mr. Stuart Baker. 



I mi^ht also mention that the cold weather before last a Marbled Teal 

 {Mnrin.ironptta anrjuslirostris') was brought here by a Mirshikar but unfor- 

 tunately it got away while the man was showing it to me. I am quite certain of 

 the identification as I know all our Indian ducks. 



CHAS M. INGLIS. 

 Baghowine Fcty., Laheria Serai. 

 bth September 1908. 



No. XXIL— THE INJURY-FEIGNING HABIT OF PARENT BIRDS. 



I have read with much interest Major Bcgbie's account on page 680 of Vol. 

 XVIII of this Journal, of the imitation by a Bengal Red-whiskered Bulbul of 

 a badly-wouiided bird in order to distract attention from its young. I should 

 like to offer a few remarks on this subject in view of the closing paragrapns of 

 Major Begbie's note: — " The simulation was perfect, and it is interesting to 

 speculate how the bird acquired its knowledge of how a badly-wounded 

 bird would behave ! The whole occurrence seems to me to point to reason 

 rather than instinct — though I am aware that I tread on delicate ground in 

 saying so." 



In my opinion the action is purely instinctive. In the first place it is to be 

 noted that the parent birds at first contented themselves with scolding. It was 

 only later — " after a few seconds " — that one of the bulbuls feig< ed injury. 

 Now, does not this seem rather like "locking the stable dcor after the steed has 

 been stolen ?" Had the action been purely intelligent, one would have expected 



