CHALCOCOCCTX. 387 



of Frinia inurnata were brought to me coutaining an egg somewhat 

 like that of P. iiioniata, but much larger, in fact exactly like that 

 described and sent by ]\Iiss Cockburu. I accused the bo\.s of 

 liaving laken the eggs from some other nests, but they maintained 

 that they had not done so. I did not believe them then, but I do 

 now." 



Mr. K. Thompson says : — " In the Uehra Uoon I have found 

 the young oue in a nest of the PjjctorJiis sinensis. On another 

 occasion I fou)Kl a youug one in the nest of Lanius erijthronotns. 

 Lt is a conniion breeder in these parts, and breeds here in May and 

 June." 



[Sometimes this species lays in the nest of MoJpastes bcngalensis 

 as oue was snared near Darjeeling on a nest of this Bulbul. 



The eggs of this species (one of them, a broken one, taken from 

 the oviduct of the female), which I owe to Miss Cockburn, of 

 Kotagherry (Xilghiris), are eloiigated ovals, occasionally more or 

 less cylindrical. The shell is very fine and smooth, and is fairly 

 glossy. The ground-colour is a delicate pale, greenish blue, blotched 

 and spotted boldly but sparsel_y, and almost exclusively towards the 

 large end of the egg, with reddish or purplish brown and pale 

 reddish purple. The markings seem generally to form a very 

 imperfect and irregular, but still more or less conspicuous zone 

 round the large end. 



The eggs vary from U"78 to 0*81 inch in length, aud from 0*o3 

 to O'o7 inch in width. 



Chalcococcyx maculatiis (Gm.). The Emerald Ciic/coo. 



Chrysococcyx liodg^uni, Muore, Jerd. B. Ind. i, p. 338. 

 Chrysococcyx maculatus (Gm.), Hume. Cat. no. 211. 



On the 1st of June Mr. Mandelli obtained a nest of StachyrJii- 

 rhims rajiceps containing three fresh eggs of the usual type, and one 

 very much larger of a nearly uniform pale pinkish chocolate. 



On the llJth of July another nest of this same species was found 

 at Lebong, which also contained three fresh eggs of the Stachyrhi- 

 dopsis and another similar reddish egg. It is quite certain to my 

 mind that the egg is that of some Cuckoo, and in ray opinion the 

 only Cuckoo to \vhich it can belong is Cludcococcyx maculatus. It 

 might of course be the *^g^ of C'uculm sonnerati, but it is, I think, 

 too small, and differs too essentially from the Cuenlus type. It is 

 certainly not the egg of Cacomantis passerinus, the only other 

 small Cuckoo that occurs in the neighboiu'hood of Lebong. 



The egg is a very regular oval, scarcely, if at all, smaller at one 

 end than the other. The shell, though small, has only a very 

 faint gloss. The colour is most peculiar — a uniform pink with a 

 certain chocolate tinge in it, aud with, when closely examined, a 

 few very minute, pale claret-coloured specks, scarcely darker than 

 the ground, scattered about its sm"face. 



It measures 0-8 by 0"G2. 



25* 



