CACOMANTIS. 385 



of trees at the edge of the swamp, from one of which a Hawk- 

 Cuckoo flew out. On watching it they saw it return to the same 

 spot, and on looking up into the tree there was a large nest, of 

 mere sticks, resembling a Common Crow's nest, but with the 

 Cuckoo sitting in it ! One of the men immediately climbed up, and 

 found three eggs in the nest. He descended again, and the other 

 servant, who had a gun, tired at the bird and missed. The Cuckoo 

 flew away, but returned after some time, to be fired at again. 

 This shot being a long one it was again missed, and as it was then 

 very late, one egg from the nest was brought away. Next day 

 being Sunday nothing could be done. On Monday the 13th they 

 started very early, and reached the place about half-past eight 

 o'clock. The Cuckoo was still there, and was shot. Though the 

 people were there for about three hours on Saturday, and an hour 

 or two on Monday, they only saw this one bird. Is the work of 

 nidification, which may be called ' a labour of love,' left to the 

 female entirely by this species ? 



" The nest was placed between three upright branches, at the 

 measured height of 27 feet from the ground ; it was tied together 

 and brought to me. Its dimensions are 21 inches in length, 15 in 

 breadth, 6| in depth. The hollow in the centre for the eggs is 

 oval, o inches long, 3 broad, 1^-deep. The nest is almost entirely 

 built of the same kind of twigs; two or three of them are thick, 

 and have a little lichen sticking to them. Nothing like lining 

 is added. The eggs were three in- number, perfectly white, with 

 a few touches of light brown on two of them ; they were much 

 incubated. The inner skin of these eggs has a greenish-blue 

 colour. 



" On May 21st, 1$74, I went to see another nest of the large 

 Hawk-Cuckoo, which had been discovered a few days previously. 

 It was placed along several branches (which grew horizontally) of 

 a very large tree, on the side of a steep hill, the ground stony and 

 ploughed, and at about 4500 feet of elevation. The nest was 

 more to one side of the tree than the centre, situated among thick 

 foliage. A ladder had to be ascended to reach the nest ; it con- 

 tained no eggs or young, but a quantity of the droppings of the 

 birds. It appeared to be a nest that had been used for several 

 seasons, as there was a large accumulation of thin sticks, giving 

 the idea of a few fresh ones having been added when the abode 

 was required at the return of each breeding-season. 



" I saw the birds near the tree, but they did not approach the 

 nest while I was there. However, my servant said that he saw 

 one of them sitting on the nest a few days before. 



" I have no doubts as to the identity of this nest, as it was 

 exactly like the one found a short time ago containing three eggs." 



Cacomantis passerinus (Vahl). The Indian Plaintive Cuckoo. 



Polyphasia nigra (I?/.), Jerd. B. Lid. i, p. 333. 

 Ololygon passerinus ( Vald\ Hume, Rough Draft N. E. no. 208 

 VOL. ii. 25 



