746 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol, XVI. 



coming on to the tree in which I was, and loudly proclaiming their excitement. 



The nest contained only three eggs all of which were well-set. I have no means 



of measuring these eggs at the house where I am staying for the present, 



but hope to send you dimensions later. They appear to me to be somewhat 



larger than all the eggs of L. vittatus I have seen. 



ARUNDEL BEGBIE, Major, 



lGth Rajputs. 

 Cawnpore, 16th July 1905. 



No. XI.— THE EGG-LAYING OF EUDYNAM1S HONORATA . 



(THE INDIAN KOEL). 



I have never found more than two eggs, or young, of the Eudynamis 

 honorata in any one nest until this year, when that number has twice been 

 exceeded. The first occasion — 30th May — I took four of these eggs and 

 two of Corvus splendens (The Indian House-Crow) from the nest of the latter 

 made in quite a young mango tree at the roadside close to the Native Infantry 

 Hospital, Cawnpore. 



The next instance struck me as being so extraordinary that I write this 

 note to find out if it is so or not. On the 12th July, in a mango tree right 

 out in the country — some ten miles from Cawnpore, my climber in my 

 presence, took from the nest of Corvus splendens (The Indian House-Crow) 

 one fresh egg belonging to the crow and no less than eight eggs of the 

 Koel. These were considerably varied in size, shape and colour, three were 

 fresh, and five set in varying degree. The crow was on the nest when 

 my man climbed up, and while he was at it the male Koel appeared on the 

 scene and flew round and round him at very close quarters, evidently in great 

 excitement. 



In this connection I may add that my servants on whom I can depend, inform- 

 ed me on one occasion this year that they had seen a Koel slip into a crow's nest 

 in a tall Millingtonia tree near my well, and throw out a crow's egg which 

 they showed me in the shape of a shell-sprinkled patch on the ground. 



ARUNDEL BEGBIE, Major, 



16th Rajputs. 

 Cawnpore, 16th July 1905. 



[This was probably an instance of several koels laying in the same crow's 



nest. — Ed.] 



No. XII.— BREEDING SEASONS OF BIG GAME. 



The Brown Bear (ursuj arctus). 



In No. 2, Vol. XVI, of the Journal, page 384, (Miscellaneous Note XXI,) 

 Major Burton, with reference to bears, puts the question, " But could they 

 have been born during hibernation ?." With reference to the Russian brown 

 bear, at any rate, I can answer, Yes ! 



