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 NOTES ON THE COMMON CUCKOO IN INDIA. 



BY 



MAJOR H. A. F. MAGRATH, m.b.o.u. 



So much has been written on the subject of the Common 

 Cuckoo (Cuctdus canoriis) that one might suppose nothing 

 more remains to be recorded ; yet the following notes, 

 based on observations of this species in the North- 

 western Himalayas, may be of interest to the readers 

 of British Birds. 



In the North- Western Himalayas this bird arrives 

 at its breeding grounds about the middle of April, and 

 from the middle of this month to the middle of June its 

 familiar call is a common sound on the hill-sides ; but 

 once the middle of the month is past it gradually 

 decreases. The latest record I have is July 13th. 

 During the time that the call is uttered, I have noticed 

 that the body is by no means invariably held in the 

 horizontal position with which we are most of us familiar. 

 On the contrary, it sometimes assumes a semi-upright 

 attitude. Further, I have noticed that while the call 

 is being made the body is swayed slightly from side to 

 side, and this swaying motion is especially marked in the 

 tail. 



In my experience the Cuckoo's notes do not alter as 

 the season advances, though the contrary is usually held 

 to be the case. The bird is probably more vigorous 

 at the beginning of the season, and the call may then 

 be more prolonged. The typical tri-sy liable call is, I 

 believe, entirely connected with the proximity of the 

 female. The well-known variations of the ordinary call 

 are as likely to be heard at the beginning as at the end 

 of the season. 



It is strange that no observer seems to have noticed 

 that the Cuckoo, like many, if not all, song-birds, acquires 



