THE OOLOGY OF INDIAN PARASITIC CUCKOOS. \ 695 



(The Burmese House-Crow) in Burma. Occasionally the nest of 

 Corvus macrorhynchus (The Jungle Crow) is made use of, hut this bird 

 breeds so early that it is seldom the Koel finds that the jungle crow 

 has her nursery ready late enough to suit her convenience. 



Capt. Harington has twice obtained Koel's eggs from the nest 

 of the Magpie (Pica ructica) in Burma, but I have never heard of its 

 egg being found in this bird's nest in the Himalayas. 



As many as five Koel's eggs have been once taken from the same 

 crow's nest, rarely three or four eggs and often two eggs from one 

 nest. Sometimes these appear to be the eggs of one bird, at other times 

 they vary so much that they are certainly the product of different birds* 



The eggs bear a rough sort of resemblance to crow's eggs, but are 

 smaller and broader in proportion. The ground colour is any tint of 

 green or greenish-yellow, sometimes stone colour, and they are densely 

 marked all over with blotches, freckles and spots of dark reddish-brown. 

 They average about M9" by -92". 



The Koel ranges throughout India, Ceylon and Burma, and is 

 unpleasantly common everywhere but in Sind, where it is very rare, and 

 in the West Punjab, where it is uncommon. It ascends the hills up to 

 about 2,500 feet, above which it ceases to persecute. 



Outside India, it extends to Western China, throughout the Malay 

 Archipelago, the Andamans, Lacadives and Flores. 



Its most common cries are ko-il, generally turned into youre-ill by 

 Europeans and continuous shouts of who-are-you. By some people 

 this bird has been called the Indian Nightingale (these have probably 

 lived in Sind), and by others its music has been called Li An intro- 

 ductory poem to Hades." It is always noisy, but more particularly 

 so by night when it is moonlight. It is everywhere pushing and 

 forward, but, perhaps, more especially so in the compounds of houses 

 containing sick persons. Its breeding season lasts from the end of 

 April to the end of August : in March it practises its voice and gets its 

 throat into working order, and in September its voice breaks, gradually 

 ceases, and the world has rest for a few cold weather months. 



Brief resume of knowledge to date of Cuckoo's Oology. 



Cucutus canorus. Common form well known. Blue eggs doubtful. 



Cuculus saturatus. Oviduct eggs taken by Brooks and Battray. 

 Typically elliptical, very smooth and fine grain, pure white, minutely 

 speckled and dotted with black or dark-brown. 



