ADDITIONAL CUCKOO NOTES. 885 



two in nests of Liothriv luteus, one in that of Lanius cristatus, and one 

 in the nests of Suya khasiana, the latter containing also four eggs, of 

 the rightful owner, of the blue type. 



One of the eggs was sent to Colonel Rattray and compared with his 

 authentic eggs, with which it agrees well, but none of the four taken 

 here have the same curious corrugations and furrows that Colonel Rat- 

 tray's eggs have ; these, however, may be abnormal, and I do not place 

 much weight on their being present or absent. The texture is the 

 same — close, fine, and hard, with a considerable gloss, and is absolutely 

 different to that of the supposed eggs of micropterus. 



It is interesting to note that two out of the four eggs brought to 

 me were said by the Khasias to be Sparrow Hawk's eggs, and I find 

 that in their language both the Sparrow Hawk and the Hawk Cuckoo 

 are called by the same name. A skin of the latter when shewn to the 

 Khasias who brought the eggs was at once spotted and called a hawk. 

 In one case the finder swore that he saw the Sparrow Hawk (?) on the 

 nest and only frightened it off as he went to take eggs. 



Sparveroides never seems to come up as high as Shillong ; but in the 

 lower country, where these eggs were obtained, they are quite common. 



The eggs were taken between the 29th May and 1st July. Three 

 measure T01" X *74", -97" X "73* and -95" X *78", but the mea- 

 surements of the egg sent to Colonel Rattray were not noted. The 

 third egg is a rather squat oval, the other two longer and well pointed 

 towards the smaller end. 



HlEROCOCCYX VARIUS. 

 The Common Hawk Cuckoo. 

 Dr. Coltart sent me in July a most remarkable set of 10 eggs found 

 in a nest of Crateropus canorus, of which only one egg was that of the 

 Babbler and the nine others were all Cuckoo's eggs, either of Coccystes 

 jacobinus or of this Cuckoo. It is impossible to say with any certainty 

 to which they belong, but the majority of them, at any rate, are proba- 

 bly eggs of the Hawk Cuckoo. 



They were not laid by one bird, as they vary extremely in shape and 

 size, though not in colour. 



Caccomantis passbrinus. 

 The Indian Plaintive Cuckoo. 

 Since my notes on the bird's oology were compiled, a great deal of 

 interesting matter has been added to our knowledge. 



