200 BIRDS OF THE BRITISH EMl^IRE. 



coveits are j^ellow ; the head, neck, throat, breast, and upper 

 abdomen are whitish ; the bill oranf^e horn. It measures 

 10^ inches in full length, of which tiie tail takes up 3. 



THE CUCKOOS. 



Fam i I3' — CiiciilidiC. 



Genus — 1. Eudynajnis. E. oricutalis. Black Cuckoo. 

 2. Centropus. C. rufipennis. Indian Coucal. 



Black Cuckoo, or Koel. — This bird is found all over 

 Indian and in Ceylon. It freipients gardens and groves, 

 feeds on fiuit, and is not at all shy. When taking wing it 

 emits a series of harsh cries, audible at a considerable dis- 

 tance, something after the fashion of the European jay, 

 and, during the breeding season, it may be heard all 

 through the night. The female deposits an ^gg in the nest 

 of the common crow, by whom it is hatched and the young 

 reared. The ^gg is pale olive green, with many dark red 

 spots. The general colour of the bird itself is rich glossy 

 greenish black ; the bill is pale green, and the inside of the 

 mouth red ; the eyes are crimson, and the legs slaty blue. 

 Length, 15^ inches ; tail, 7^. 



Indi.\n, or Common Coucal. — This bird is frequently 

 termed crow-pheasant in India, where it frequents timbered 

 as well as cultivated grounds, feeding on insects, reptiles, 

 and terrestrial molluscs. It builds a large domed nest of 

 twigs, and lays from two to five eggs, oval in shape, and of 

 a pure white colour, on which it sits like most other birds, 

 so that it seems to be out of place among the parasite 

 cuckoos. The breeding season lasts from Januarj' to July. 



The head, neck, lower back, upper tail coverts, and all the 

 under parts are purplish black, but the tail has a green 



