THE RESIDENT BIRDS OF SAUGOR AND DAMOR DISTRICTS. 97 



I only resort to the gun in sheer desperation when every other means of 

 identification have failed, is not so easy as it sounds when it comes to 

 Night- jars. 



1104. (81). OucuLUs CANORUS. Cuckoo. 

 Kuku, or Papaijja. 

 HiBROCOCOYx VARius. Common Hawk-Cuckoo. 

 CoocYSTES JACOBiNUS. Pied Crested Cuckoo. 

 EuDYNAMis HONORATA. Indian Koel. 

 Koel. 



1129. (85). Taccocua leschenaulti. Sirkeer Cuckoo. 



All common except the last which I have only seen on a few occasions. 

 I have never found the Cuckoo's egg, though I flatter myself that I have 

 obtained that of the Pied Crested on more than one occasion from the nest 

 of Cratei'opus canorus. But considering how the eggs are said to resemble 

 those of the legitimate owner, I fail to see how one can be certain, short of 

 seeing the Cuckoo on the nest. And I am afraid that my belief in the 

 genuineness of the egg, apart from a slight though appreciable difference 

 in their shade of blue and size, is largely based on my personal desire 

 to believe. The Koel's eggs are easy to get and last year I took a nest 

 with three Koel's and two Crow's eggs. To my great regret I have 

 never been able to witness any dispute or manosuvring between the Koel 

 and the Crow over the depositing of these eggs in the Crow's nest, and I 

 personally have a theory, based on the undoubted fact that at this parti- 

 cular time of year Koels are awake, and most vocally so, at all hours 

 of the night, that Mrs. K. must often introduce the egg stealthily in 

 the dark. 



The Sirkeer Cuckoo is a poor creature, hardly worth calling a Cuckoo as 

 he is said to demean himself so far as not only to lay his own eggs, which 

 according to the small boy of the story no decent Cuckoo ever does, 

 but even to make his own nest. I have never found this nest and do not 

 want to or to have anything more to do with this disreputable bird. 

 Swadeshi is all very well but when it comes to self-made nests for Cuckoos, 

 I consider that it is carried to excess. 



Mr. Tucker adds the Indian Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantis passerinus) to 

 the Saugor list, but I have not come across the bird myself. 



1130. (86). Centropus sinensis. Common Coucal or Crow-pheasant. 



MahtiJca. 

 Nests late in August, making a large globular nest of green leaves and 

 ■creepers, always very carefully concealed in tie thickest of foliage. 

 1135. (87). Pal^ornis nepalensis. Large Indian Paroquet. 



Karan-tota. 

 1138. (88). Pal^ornis TORQUATUS. Rose-winged Paroquet. 



Tot a. 



