172 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XIV. 



No. XXI.— A PIED-CRESTED CUCKOO'S EGG ( COCCYSTES 



JACOBIN US) FOUND IN THE NEST OF THE BENGAL 



RED-VENTED BULBUL {IIOLPASTES 



BENGALENSIS). 



While strolling round my garden the other evening I found a Bulbul's nest 

 which I bad not previously observed. I have been leaving all the eggs of 

 this bird in order to get the young ones for my aviary, so only wished to 

 examine the nest, and as it was about 10 feet from the ground I had to get 

 into the tree, but could not see into the nest even then. On putting my 

 hand inside I felt 4 eggs, so determined to take them, as this was the first 

 clutch of four I had ever found of this bird's, but the second egg removed 

 proved to be that of a Pied-crested Cuckoo, I recognised it at once by its 

 being almost round. 



I have both this bird and the common Hawk Cuckoo ( Hierococcyx varius ) 

 in the garden, but as the Crateropus (Babblers) are not laying at present, 

 I never expected to find the eggs of the Pied-crested Cuckoo for sometime to 

 come, and then not in a Bulbul's nest. 



The common Hawk Cuckoos have been in the garden since February and 

 after I had taken a few clutches of Crateropus canorus I left the others, only 

 examining them for Hierococcyx varius of which I found none, nor have I 

 seen young of the latter bird. Coccystes jacohinus has only been about the 

 garden for a month or 6 weeks so I expected to have to wait for its eggs also. 

 I have searched dozens of Bulbuls nests since, but have failed to find any 



more eggs of Coccystes jacohinus. 



E. E, TOOTH. 

 Ddm-Dum. lith June 1901, 



No. XXII.— UNUSUAL ABUNDANCE OF SANDGROUSE AT DEESA. 



The common Sandgrouse (^Pterocles exustus) has been unusually abundant 

 near Deesa this year. I feel sure they have increased in numbers largely 

 since I first came here, now nearly 5 years ago. Possibly the last few years, 

 which have been unusually dry, have been especially favourable to their 

 increase. A few weeks ago over 400 were shot over a running stream one 

 morning by a party of 7 or 8 guns, and this at a place where more than 200 

 had been killed on several previous occasions during the course of a few weeks. 



The painted Sandgrouse {Pterocles fasciatus) appears also to have increased 

 in numbers. It is usually only found in small flocks, but this morning, when 

 shooting over some ravines covered with a little grass and a few bushes, I 

 came across a large number, not less than two or three hundred. They were 

 chiefly in packs of from two to six, but there were several packs of ten or a 

 dozen, and one flock of sixty or eighty birds. They were very wary, and I 

 seldom succeeded in getting within 35 yards of them. However, I managed 

 to shoot 21, which is the largest number of this species I have ever killed in 

 A day, chiefly by standing behind a bush and having them driven towards me. 



