Mr. H. Bowker's Observations. 213 



(Pica niauritanica ), in the nests of which they had 

 been found, that, skilful oologist as he was, they had 

 passed, even to his practised, unsuspecting eye, as 

 those of the latter bird." '•'- 



XXXII. 



THE AFRICAN EVIDEN'CE. 



South Africa certainly boasts its full compliment 

 of cuckoos ; but it is to be regretted that in Layard's 

 Birds of South Africa, though edited by Dr. Bowdler 

 Sharpe, information is not systematically given as to 

 habits of parasitism, etc. — points which it would 

 have been so important for comparative ornithologists 

 to be advised about. Only about two, indeed, out of 

 more than a dozen have we distinct and clear infor- 

 mation on these heads. 



The black-crested cuckoo is stated to deposit eggs 

 in nests of the geelgat (Pycnoiiotus capensis) and 

 Sigelus silens. 



Mr. H. Bowker observes about the black-and- 

 white cuckoo (Coccystes jacobimis) : 



" This cuckoo lays in the nest of the black-forked 

 spreo (Dicrnriis mnsicus) and also in that of the 

 woodpecker. It looks after its young to see that the 

 foster-parents are attentive to them. I once watched 

 a woodpecker's nest, and when the nurses brought 

 food to the nest, they were always followed by one of 

 these birds, who, after the woodpeckers left, invari- 

 ably looked into the nest to see if all was right, and 



* Zoologist, 1873, p. 3508. 



