MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 595 



similar in each case, were long ovals, white, sparsely dusted with light brown 

 and from the propinquity of the nests which were about 50 yards apart 

 might have been laid by the same bird. 



1107. The Indian Cuckoo [Ciiculus micropterus). — I have heard this bird 

 at Dunga Gali and Murree in the hot weather and seen it on one occasion, 

 but it is far from common at either of these places. 



1109. The Connnon Hawk Cuckoo {Hierococcy.v varius). — 1 only heard and 

 saw this bird at Amballa and Hoshiapur in the Piinjab in March and I had 

 no opportunity of ascertaining whether it remains during the hot weather at 

 these places. In any case this would appear to be an extension of its range. 



1112. Indian Plaintive Cuckoo (Cacomantu passerinus) . — This bird is a 

 migrant to Abbottabad where it arrives in the latter end of May and I have 

 also heard it at Dharmpur below Kasauli (Simla Hills) in the middle of the 

 hot weather. Abbottabad would appear to be a considerable extension of 

 its range. 



1117. The Drongo Cuckoo (Surniculus lugubris). — As 1 was lying in bed 

 early one morning at Lahore, I heard 5 or 6 notes ascending the scale in 

 perfect gradation repeated at intervals which I at first attributed to human 

 agency, but as the sound continued and I knew that there could be no one 

 about at that early hour (dawn was just breaking) I went outside to investi- 

 gate and discovered what 1 took to be a King Crow which flew out of a tree 

 close at hand and was the only living thing in sight or within hearing. It 

 was not till some time later that I read an account of the Drongo Cuckoo 

 and realised for the first time that what I had then heard and attributed to 

 the mimicry of the King Crow was doubtless the note of this Cuckoo. This 

 was on the lilth October and is the only occasion I have come across this 

 bird, when it was doubtless on migration. 



1118. The Pied Crested Cuckoo (Cocci/stes j'acobinus) . — I have never come 

 across this bird in Lahore earlier than 1st June or later than the end of 

 September, though I once saw a young bird being fed by a pair of Common 

 Babblers {Argya caudata) on October 16th. 



I found an egg in the nest of the Connnon Babbler on the 6th September 

 and have seen a young bird being fed by a pair of Jungle Babblers 

 {Crateropus canorus). 



I once heard this Cuckoo at night at Murree in the hot weather. 



A. J. CURRIE. 

 Rangoon, December 1915. 



No. XI.— THE BREEDING OF THE KOEL {EUBYNAMIS 

 RON OR AT A, Linn.). 



With reference to the Editors' footnote on p. 192 of the current volume of 

 our Journal I send herewith a table of the instances when I have met with 

 Crow's nests in the Punjab, containing eggs of the Koel. It is to be 

 regretted that I cannot get at my collection at present to supply the 

 missing measurements, as it is of interest to compare the relative sizes of the 

 eggs of the foster parent and parasite. 



The numbers of the Crow's eggs and the relative difference between their 

 incubation and that of the Koel's eggs suggest that one or more eggs 

 belonging to the rightful owner of the nest are ejected by the Koel when she 

 visits the nest. 



With regard to the instance of seven eggs recorded by Mr. Jacob it is to 

 be regretted that the record was not properly authenticated, but rests 

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