322. JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. X, 



the thick and lofty tree-tops that he loves, as well as any of the green 

 birds. And, like most fowl of monotonous notes, he seems, to a man's 

 ear, a bit of a ventriloquist. This is probably an effect of echo, or 

 other deception, as a call-note which led the female bird astray would 

 be of little use. Or, perhaps, the frequent appearance of koils, copper- 

 smiths, and corn-crakes in the place where you did not hear them is 

 due simply to a rapid and silent change of place. Mr. Blanford gives 

 the ordinary note as " kee-il," and another, uttered by the male 

 alone, as " ho-y-o." It is the latter, of course, that gives the bird 

 our Bombay name " Who are you ? " There is, however, a third 

 call or noise— an outburst of screaming clatter — which generally 

 accompanies the koil's hurried flight across an open place in frantic 

 flight from a pursuing crow who has forced him out of his tree. 

 Jerdon mentions this, and a fourth " somewhat melodious and rich 

 liquid call and thoroughly cuculine.'" He observes that the female 

 " in general lays one egg only in each crow's nest, and mostly, but not 

 always, destroys the eggs of the crow at the time of depositing her 

 own " — ft wise precaution, as the ejection of a young crow older than 

 himself might be no easy job for the changeling. Further he quotes 

 the native belief that " the crow discovers the imposture when 

 the young koil is nearly full-grown and ejects it from the nest, 

 but with dissent for reason given. Mr. Blanford's greater command of 

 evidence helps us here. He does not mention the mother-koil's break- 

 ing the crow's eggs, but does say that " not unfrequently two or 

 more koil's eggs may be found in the same nest." When this happens, 

 we can hardly doubt that the strongest changeling evicts his weaker 

 brethren — one of the few cases in which we can have no sympathy 

 with the victim. The natives would give the credit to the old crows. 

 They are slow to admit that a crow can be altogether made a fool of by 

 any bird. But European observation is all to the effect that the crows 

 are just as completely deceived as any other victim of any other 

 cuckoo. And although they may often be seen hunting the male- 

 koil, the female, quieter in colours and notes, seems usually to escape 

 their notice, though she is their real enemy. It may well be that 

 their pursuit of the male furnishes her opportunity for invading their 

 nests. The koil does not seem to victimise any birds but crows. He 

 is one of the " brain-fever birds," perhaps the chief ; but the term is 

 vague, and belongs rather to the '' Bengal side of the Punkah." 



