GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOO. 207 



M. Vieillot includes it also in his Fauna Fran^aise, and 

 mentions that in different years many examples have been 

 taken in Languedoc. M. Brehm, Meyer, and Nauman, 

 notice its occasional appearance in Germany. 



One name used by Dr. Latham for this species, as quoted 

 at the head of this subject, is the Pisan Cuckoo, in refer- 

 ence to which it is stated " that a male and female of this 

 bird were found near Pisa, in Italy, where they made their 

 nest, laying four eggs, sat on, and hatched them. It was 

 observed that this species had never made its appearance 

 there before ; nor was it known from whence these birds 

 came." M. P. Roux obtained a young bird in Provence. 

 M. Savi includes it in his Birds of Italy, and it is found 

 in Sicily, Egypt, and Syria. 



Mr. Gould, in his well-known work on the Birds of 

 Europe, says, that the true habitat of this species is the 

 wooded districts skirting the sultry plains of North Africa, 

 but those that pass the Mediterranean find a congenial 

 climate in Spain and Italy. Opportunities are still want- 

 ing to confirm the most interesting of its habits. 



Such a communication appeared in the Zoologist for 

 1853, p. 3987. Several examples were seen both at Siut 

 and at Thebes, in Upper Egypt, in March, 1850. One 

 female, with a well-developed egg in the oviduct, was ob- 

 tained ; other eggs were also procured, which were found 

 in the nest of the Hooded Crow : the bird was watched 

 and observed to enter the nest, remaining about a quarter 

 of an hour, and was then seen to leave it again. The eggs 

 are described as bright green, with darker brownish spots, 

 like the eggs of our Magpie, only more rounded, and not 

 quite so long. A young bird was observed which was being 

 fed and provided for by Hooded Crows. The note of the 

 adult Great Spotted Cuckoo was like the word " kick," 

 repeated three or four times in quick succession. 



