76 CRATEROPODID.^. 



the rains (June to August), laying usually three or four eggs of a 

 bright greenish-blue colour. The nest itself recalls that of the 

 Blackbird, but it is frequently very clumsily made. On the 21st 

 June last a boy brought me a nest of this species containing evjlit 

 eggs. Two, if not three, of this clutch are easily separable from 

 the others, being more oval and somewhat smaller, and are unques- 

 tionably parasitical eggs ; but it is quite impossible to say whether 

 they belong to //. varivs or G. melanoleueus. 



" Again, on the 9th July, I took a nest in person, which also 

 contained eight eggs. Seven of these are all alike and are well 

 incubated, while the eighth is quite fresh, and doubtless owes its 

 parentnge to one of the above-mentioned Cuckoos. 



" Strange to say I have now another nest marked down, which 

 in like manner contains the same number of callow young. It is 

 just possible that the foster-parents may have to perform double 

 duty in this case. 



" From the foregoing it may be inferred that M. canoms does 

 occasionally lay more than four eggs, or as the birds are gregarious 

 even during the breeding-season, it is possible enough that two 

 birds may occasionally deposit eggs in the same nest. 



" I should not think that i/. varhis (the " Brain-fever and De- 

 lirium -tremens Bird " as it is frequently called) had much difficulty 

 in depositing her eggs in the nest of the Malacoccrci, for I have 

 frequently noticed that all the Babblers in the neighbourhood make 

 a clean bolt of it immediately this Cuckoo puts in an appearance, 

 no doubt owing to its great similarity to the Indian Sparrow- 

 Ilawk (3/. hadius). 



" During the months of September and October I have observed 

 several Babblers in the act of feeding one young //. varius, follow- 

 ing the bird from tree to tree, and being most assiduous in their 

 attentions to the young interloper." 



Mr. K. M. Adam remarks : — " I took a nest of this bird in Agra 

 on the 17th July. It contained five eggs, all of which were nearly 

 hatched. Again on the 21st I took another nest containing only 

 one hard-set egg." 



Writing from Calcutta, Mr. J. C. Parker says: — "I found a 

 nest of this bird, near my house in Garden Reach, on the 23rd 

 June. It contained four fresh eggs." 



Colonel Butler observes : — " The Bengal Babbler breeds in the 

 neighbourhood of Deesa as a rule, I think, during the rains and in 

 the cold weather, but I have found nests as late as March. 'The 

 nest is usually placed on the outside branch of some moderate- 

 sized tree (neem &c.). It is a somewhat solidly built structure 

 composed almost entirely of dead twigs, stems of dead leaves, and 

 stalks of coarse dry grass, being lined with a few tine librous roots 

 or stems of grass. 1 found nests on the following dates : — 



" July 16, 1875. A nest containing 4 fresh eggs. 



"March 20, 1876. „ „ 4 fresh eggs. 



" May 29, 1876. „ „ 3 fresh eggs. 



" June 17, 1870. „ „ 3 fresh eggs. 



