THE OOLOGY OF INDIAN PARASITIC CUCKOOS. 2G5 



is found throughout the hills South of Assam and Burmah, ranging to 

 China, Japan, the PhiUfyin.es, the Malay Peninsula and Borneo." 



Its voice is not unlike that of the koel, but it is less harsh and 

 penetrating, and some of its notes are really quite melodious. One of 

 these latter has been described variously as Chuck-dot-dot or 

 Chuck-dol-dol, and this has a distinctly cuckoo-like sound about it. 

 Its favourite note, however, is one which runs up the scale in repetitions 

 of tha sounds pi-pee-ah, pi-pee-ah, the emphasis on the second syllable, 

 until the bird has got as high as it can, when it re-commences again. 



Like most cuckoos, it is often very noisy during moonlight nights, and 

 it is then a perfect torment to would-be sleepers. Both these birds and 

 the koel, doubtless from people not recognizing their notes as distinct, 

 are often called the Brain-fever Bird. The cry which I have called 

 pi-/;^-ah is by them made into Brain-/<?-ver. The True Brain-fever 

 Bird is, however, H. varius, first cousin to the present bird. 



HlEROCOCCYX VARIUS. (Valll.) 

 7 he Common Bawh-Cuekoo. 



FJierococcjjx varhis. Jerdon, B. of I., I, p. 329; Adam, S.F., I, p. 373: 

 Butlor, ibid, III, p. 460 ; Bourdillon, ibid., IV, p. 392 ; Fairbank, ibid, 

 V, p. 397 ; Vidal, ibid, VII, p. 56 ; Ball, ibid, p. 207 ; Cripps, ibid, 

 p. 264 ; Hume, Cat. No. 205 ; Scully, S. F., VIII, p. 255 ; Legge, B. 

 of Ceylon, p. 240 ; Reid, S. F., X., p. 27 ; Davison, ibid,j). 359; Barnes, 

 B. of Bom., p. 126 ; David, Jour., Bom. N. H. Soc, I, p. 182; Barnes, 

 ibid, IV, p. 18; Oates, Nest and Eggs, 2nd Ed., II, p. 383; Shelly, 

 Cat. B. M., XIX, p. 234; Reid, Cat. Eggs B. M., Ill, p. 104 ; Blanford, 

 B. I., Ill, p. 213 ; Nehrkorn, Cat. of Eggs, p. 170. 



Hierococcyx niso'des, Hume, S. F. VII, p. 371. 



Tho egg of the Common Hawk-Cuckoo is one which has long been 

 well known, oviduct eggs having been taken by Bingham, Irvine and 

 Inglts, all these agreeing exactly with one another and also with those 

 reputed to b-jlong to this cuckoo taken from the nest of varivs babblers. 



Mr. S. L. Whymper writing to me from Jeol'kote says : " I got an 

 undoubted egg from the nest of Crateropus canorus (The Jungle Babbler) 

 in Bareilly as I saw the bird go to the nest." 



Mr. T. R B.)U saw a young IL varius being fed by a pair of Crate- 

 ropus somsrvdl'a (The Rufous-tailed Babbler) and took undoubted eggs 

 from the nest of this babbler. 



