THE KOEL. 95 



Both our common crows, the urban and the mofussilite, 

 are victimized by the Koel, but the former more frequently 

 than the latter, probably because the town crow is the 

 smaller bird ; and as a family upset by this cuculine intru- 

 sion is almost the only calamity crows have to fear from 

 other feathered members of creation, it is a great pity the 

 Koel is not commoner though some people, who object to 

 the persistence of the sable vocalizer by night as well as by 

 day, would probably say there are far too many of his 

 kind about already. Such have been known to confound 

 the Koel with the brain-fever bird, which, however, is a 

 quite distinct species, much more like the home cuckoo, 



Brain-fever bird. 

 (Hierococcyx varius.) 



and known in books as the Hawk-cuckoo (Hierococcyx va- 

 rius) form his remarkable resemblance in plumage and 

 general form and flight to the common Indian Sparrow- 

 hawk or Shikra (Astur Radius). His note, however, fully 

 entitles him to his ordinary designation, whether from its 

 " damnable iteration " or from its remarkable resem- 

 blance to the word " brain- fever ' repeated in a piercing 

 voice running up the scale ; although an equally worthy 

 rendering of the performance, which has the merit of 



