78 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVII. 



An egg lent me by Major Wilson measures "1" by *69", and is the 

 longest egg I have seen. One of Col. Rattray's eggs measures *75" in 

 breadth, this measurement also exceeding that of any European egg. 

 Those which have passed through my hands average '91" by '61", so that 

 it would appaar that tropical-laid eggs exceed in average size those laid 

 in temperate regions. 



Oates (Nest and Eggs) gives the size of the eggs as ranging between 

 •93" and -1" in length and 'V to '73" in breadth, whilst Blanford 

 (A. of B. I.) gives the average as being *97" by *72''. This seems far too 

 bio-, as eggs of this siza are quite the exception amongst those which have 

 passed through my hands. 



In India the cuckoo lays its eggs in the nests of Pipits, Larks 

 and Stone-chats perhaps more than in those of others, but eggs have been 

 found in nests of all the following birds : — 



Pratincola maura. The IndiaD Bush-Chat. Davidson, Rattray, 



Brooks, Ward, Scully. 

 Pratincola caprata. The Common Pied Bush-Chat. Davidson, 



Cock. 

 Hodgsonius phamicurokles. Hodgson's Short-wing. Davidson. 

 Petrophila cinclorhyncha. The Blue-headed Rock-Thrush. Wilson, 



Rattray. 

 Oreicola ferrea. The Davk-grey Bush-Chat. Rattray, Ward, 



Marshall, Scully. 

 Larvivora brunnea. The Indiau Blue-Chat. Rattray. 

 Molpasles leucogenys. The White-cheeked Bulbul. Rattray. 

 Merula unicolor. Tickell's Ouzel. Rattray. 



Henicurus maculatus. The Western Spotted Forktail. Rattray. 

 Henicurus schistaceus. The Slaty-backed Forktail. Baker. 

 Anthipes moniliger. Hodgson's White-gorgeted Flycatcher. Baker. 

 Drymochares nnj)alensis. The Nepal Short-wing. Baker. 

 Craterojpus canorus. The Jungle Babbler. Cock. 

 Lanius e'-ythronolus. The Rufous-backed Shrike. Cock. 

 Copsychus saularis. The Magpie-Robin. Brooks. 

 Oreocorys sylvanus. The Upland Pipit. Hume, Rattray. 

 Antlius similis. 1 he Brown Rock-Pipit, a arshall. 

 A. rosaceus. Hodgson's Pipit. Whymper. 



Suya crinigera, The Brown Hill-Warbler. Baker. (Supposed to 

 be saturatus at the time when taken.) 

 From the above it will be seen that the common cuckoo usually selects 

 a nest which contains eggs that are not very conspicuously coloured and 

 which are much the same in size as its own eggs. Exceptions are the 

 bright blue eggs of Larvivora and the much greater eggs of Petrophila 

 and Merula. I have not, however, found that there is any proof of the 



