8 PICARIAN BIRDS. 



myna breeds in holes of old rotten trees, sometimes using wo6dpeckei*s' holes, 

 making it more difficult to see the intruder in the dark ; and no doubt, when the 

 young bird emerges into daylight, it would startle the old birds to see the young 

 cuckoos of any other colour. One of the young cuckoos was shot whilst being fed 

 by the foster-parents, and no doubt the young cuckoo gets rid of the nestling 

 myna at an early period. Of coui-se it might be argued that it would not be 



YOUNG MALE OF THB INDIAN KOEL (J nat. size). 



necessar}' to deceive the myna, for other birds take care of their parasites ; but 

 perhaps the myna has a greater knowledge of the world." The Indian koel {E. 

 honorata) is the rain - bird of India. The bird is parasitic on crows, and it 

 would appear from the notes of naturalists in India that the koels must look 

 after their offspring to a certain extent, for they have been seen feeding their own 

 young ones after they have left the nest. 

 Long-Clawed Distributed over the great part of Africa, India, China, and 



Coucais. southwards through Malaysia to Australia, the coucals form not 



