1770 



THE PICARIAN BIRDS 



resemble the hens, but in the instance of the koels the young of both sexes are 

 black like the cocks. The koels may also be distinguished from the preceding 

 genus by having a much rounder and stouter bill than in the preceding genera. The 

 tail is long and wedge-shaped. Regarding the coloration of the young, Mr. White- 

 head, writing of the Philippine koel, or phow (Eudynamis mindanensis) , asks " Why 

 should the young birds not follow the general rule, and take the plumage of the 



YOUNG MALE OF THE INDIAN KOEL. 



(One-third natural size.) 



female, or have a plumage distinct from that of both parents? The answer to this 

 riddle appears to be that the phow lays its eggs in the nest of the yellow-wattled 

 myna. The young cuckoo being black does not differ from the young myna, and 

 so the deception is carried on until the young bird can take care of itself. If the 

 young followed the general rule, and resembled their mother in being of a brown 

 color, the mynas might not feed them. The myna breeds in holes of old rotten 



