50 GARD UN AND AVIARY BIRDS. 



they cherish a lively prejudice against the old Koels, and 

 hunt any Koel they can to death if they get the 

 chance. 



The Koels breed from March to July, and at this 

 time the call whence is derived its Hindustani name 

 "ko-eelko-eel," running up the scale, is one of the charac- 

 teristic sounds of the country. Unfortunately the bird 

 insists on calling at night as well as by day, and is rather 

 apt at all times to be " instant out of season "; whence 

 many Europeans call him the Brain-fever Bird, and detest 

 him accordingly. The male, which has another call of 

 his own, like "ho-e-o," is a favourite native pet, and 

 seems to thrive well on satoo ; like all Cuckoos, however, 

 he is restless in a cage, and apt in this way to break and 

 damage his plumage, though not so much as other species. 

 In an aviary of the larger birds, a pair of Koels make a 

 nice addition, but are hardly worth keeping in most places, 

 as they are so common outside. 



THE HAWK-CUCKOO OR "BRAIN-FEVER BIRD" (Hiero- 

 coccyx varius), called Popiya by the natives, is a smaller 

 bird, not much over a foot long, with much weaker bill 

 and shorter legs than the Koel. The cock and hen are 

 alike, blue-grey above, with tail barred with buff-edged 

 dark bands, and below white on the throat and belly, 

 and cinnamon on the breast, which is barred below. The 

 eyes are bright yellow, the legs yellow, and the bill black 

 above and greenish below. 



The young bird is quite differently coloured, being 

 brown above, barred with buff, and white with brown 

 spots below ; the eyes are grey at this stage. 



