THE KOEL AND ITS ALLIES 303 



coccyx varius) which is the ^'Brain-fever 

 bird" of Europeans residing in this coun- 

 try. When on the wing, it looks like a 

 Shikra fAstur hadiusj but its accipitrine 

 looks do not save it from being pur- 

 sued and mobbed by smaller birds, speci- 

 ally by Babblers who have an innate 

 repugnance for it, just as the crow has for 

 the Koel. But the w^ary and alert Bab- 

 blers, though they move about in flocks 

 and parties for the sake of safety, are 

 outwitted by this double-faced cuckoo. 

 This bird keeps to our gardens and 

 avenues and its presence in any locality 

 depends on the number of Babblers there. 

 However much it may ape the hawk 

 in looks while flying, it cannot keep up 

 the deception when it comes to perch. 

 ''It has all the furtive, peering ways of 

 common cuckoos when it sits down, 

 constantly jerking itself from side to side 

 as Koels do and, at the same time, puffing 

 out its throat in a strange way. The 

 Common Indian Cuckoo or Bou-katha-kao 



