250 GLIMPSES OF INDIAN BIRDS 



by him. His range extends from Naini Tal to Tuticorin 

 and from Calcutta to Delhi. Assam, Sind, and the 

 Punjab appear to be the only portions of India free 

 from this cuckoo. 



The second of the great triumvirate is the Indian 

 koel (Eudynamis honor ata). This noble fowl has three 

 calls, each as powerful as the others. 



The first is a crescendo ku-il, ku-il, ku-il, very 

 pleasing to Indian ears, but too powerful for the taste 

 of Westerns. The second is well described by Cunning- 

 ham as an outrageous torrent of shouts, sounding 

 " kuk, k&u, kuii, kuu> ktiu, kuu" repeated at brief 

 intervals in tones loud enough to wake the seven 

 sleepers. When the bird thus calls its whole body 

 vibrates with the effort put forth. The third cry is 

 uttered only when the koel is being chased by angry 

 crows, and is, as Cunningham says, a mere cataract 

 of shrill shrieks : " Hekaree, karee." 



For the benefit of those unacquainted with the 

 ways of the koel it is necessary to state that that bird 

 spends much of its time fleeing before the wrath of 

 crows. It lays its eggs in the nests of these. And, 

 if one may judge from their behaviour, they suspect 

 the koel. The other two calls are heard at all hours 

 of the day and night, and it makes no difference to 

 the koel whether it is the sun or the moon, or only 

 the stars that are shining. He is always merry and 

 bright. The second call, however, is usually reserved 

 for the dawn. Hence this particular vocal effort is 

 rendered all the more exasperating, coming as it does 

 precisely at the time when, after the departure of a 



