ML'SCKLLA ^ EO US NOTES. 743 



1. Common Cuckoo, Cuculus canorus. I found two eggs myself, both in 

 nests of Marsh "Warbler, Mer/alurus palustris. Both are of the samo type, 

 elliptical, and slightly pointed at one end : very little gloss ; ground colour, 

 very light stone, with irregular blotches, spots, and streaks of a light 

 reddish brown, and underlying (subsurface) markings of dull reddish grey. 

 Tho markings are scanty at the small orid, but form a rough ring at the 

 large end. 



The dates and other details are : — 



c/1. ex M. patusfn.'^ {c/:\) 2-o-17. -91" X -Gi" Fresh, 

 c/l. ex .U. i>a/ustris {c/A) ii-C)-l7. SS" x -65" Fresh. 

 Mr. J. C. Hopwood obtained two more eggs, both in the same piece of 

 marsh (which is quite small) both ex Af. palu'^fris and similar to mine in 

 size, shape and markings about May 10th. It is likely that these four eggs 

 were laid by the same bird. 



Mr. Hopwood and I found a young C. canoi-us, nearly fully fledged in a 

 nest of Al. j>alu.<tris on the race course on :i5-5-17. In all, we found 10 

 nests of M. palustris. Of these, 6 contained no Cuckoo's eggs, but one of 

 these was destroyed by rats : the other 5 are noted above. This gives a 

 mortality among the new generation, of 60 per cent, before they are even 

 hatched. Allowing that we may have failed to find the best hidden nests, 

 it seems that the bird must have some difficulty in getting a brood o8F. 



These Maymyo eggs are all different from the other C. crmorus eggs in 

 my collection ; of these two are blue, from the North Chin hills, and measure 

 •92" X -71" and -88" X -69". The other four are from the collection of 

 the late P. W. Mackinnon ; and the markings are more indefinite : 3 arc 

 distinctly reddish speckled with brown, and one is stone coloured, 

 speckled with grey and brown. 

 Their details are : — 



c/I. no fosterer given : Masuri, 13-6-88. 191" X -69"). 



c/l. ex Upland Pipit : Oreocorys sylvanus (c2 young lairds) '88" x "70 



(evidently an addled egg), 

 c/l . ex Upland Pipit, Oreocorys sylvanus (c/2) : 24.5.91", Mnssoorie 



•91" x 70". 

 c/l. ex Crested Bunting, Melophus melanicterus (c/3) : Tehri Garwhal. 

 19-O-90. •9o"x-73". 

 My Maymyo eggs are less broad than either the Chin Hills, or the Indian 

 eggs in mj' collection. One of Mr. Osmaston's Maymyo eggs apparently 

 resembles mine, and one resembles the Indian eggs in size. 



Mr. P. F. Wickham took an egg of the ordinary type from a nest of 

 Antkus rufuhif!, and a blue C. canorus egg whose fosterer I cannot remember. 



2. Large Hawk-cuckoo, Hierococcyx sparverioides. I took 5 nests containing 

 eggs of this Hawk-ciickoo. One on 28-5-17 was a very pleasant find, as 

 it defeats even Mr. Osmaston's "surprise-packet" in the number of 

 Cuckoo's eggs in one nest. The nest belonged to Garrulax monliyer, but 

 contained only one egg of this bird, which was punctured. There was 

 one egg of H. sparverioides, a long thin egg, measuring 1-31" X '79 and 

 no less than four eggs of the Red-winged Crested Cuckoo, Coccystes 

 coromandus, (M3" X 91," 106" X "88," 1 03" X -86" and 1 03" x -86". 

 The last 3 eggs are very like each other and may have been laid by the 

 same bird. All the eggs were fresh. If all the eggs had hatched, it would 

 be interesting to know what would have happened. 



The puncture in the Necklaced Laughing — Thrush, G. moniliyer, egg was 

 probably made by the bill of one or other of the Cuckoos in trying to eject 

 it. The same thing was noted in several nests. 



All the other eggs found were in nests containing an egg of C. coroman- 

 dus. 



