188 Lieut. R. E. Vauglian and Staff-Surg. K. H. Joues 



puts in an appearance, and is breeding and calling during 

 the wettest time of tlie year, has in all probability given rise 

 to its name, 



A series of low, penetrating whistling sounds in a falling 

 cadence, terminated by several rising notes, constitutes the 

 song of the male. The female calls the male to lier by a 

 harsh dissyllabic cry, which is quite characteristic. The male 

 repeats his monotonous call all day and nearly all night, the 

 effect being most maddening ; the female was only observed 

 to give her special note during daylight hours. After the 

 female has called up the male by her peculiar cry, pairing 

 has been obso'ved to take place in the topmost branches of 

 a high tree. 



This species arrives ready mated, and breeding commences 

 at once ; a pair of Cuckoos takes up a special district and is 

 parasitic on the Tailor-birds (Sutoria suturia) within it, and 

 other pairs do not intrude on territory that does not belong 

 to them. 



From the position of the nests of the Tailor-birds, and 

 the difficulty there is in getting even two fingers into them, 

 whilst in situ there is little doubt that the Cuckoo lays 

 its eggs on the ground, and afterwards places them in the 

 nest of the foster parents. 



Except in point of size, the eggs of the parasite bear a 

 strong resemblance to those of the host ; they are of a 

 greenish-blue ground-colour and are easily divisible into two 

 well-marked types : in one there are faint rusty, reddish- 

 coloured markings, of indefinite outline, on a greenish-blue 

 ground, and in the other the markings are like dried blood 

 on a much darker ground and with more of blue in it. 



It is curious that precisely the same varieties are met 

 Avith among the greenish eggs of Sutoria, and it is also true 

 that Caconiantis often lays an egg of one type in a nest of 

 Sutoria containing those of the other. Cacomantis also 

 places its eggs in the nests of Suturia which contain eggs 

 having a white ground-colour, so that apparently neither 

 Sutoria nor Cacomantis are capa1)le of discrimination in the 

 matter. 



