on Cuckoos in captivity.



35



India, who admire the bird’s rich melodious notes.” Finn, in a

most interesting paper in the ‘ Ibis ’ for 1901 (p. 423) on “ The Cage-

birds of Calcutta,” says that the male Koel is a very popular pet

with natives and always on sale there, many being reared by hand.

According to Russ the London Zoo received it for the first time in

1864. Other examples, he says, have also been exhibited there and

in other zoological collections and been satisfactorily fed on boiled

rice, fruit, and berries. In India this is no doubt supplemented by

suttoo, the gram and butter paste, which Finn tells us, is the regula¬

tion food for all “ soft-bills ” in India.* In a wild state it feeds

entirely on fruit (Oates and Blanford, l. c.).f


Hawk Cuckoo ( Hierococcyx varius).


This Cuckoo, also a native of India, owes its right to a place

here to Finn’s above-mentioned paper, where, after referring to the

Koel, he continues:


“ The only other Cuckoo I have met with commonly

“in cages is the 'Papiya' or Brain-fever Bird, the note of

“ which is as much esteemed by natives as it is disliked by

“ Europeans. It does not keep its plumage in such good con-

“ dition as the Koel, which seems to do very well as a cage-

“ bird.”


In a wild state it is very common throughout India and

Ceylon, where its loud maddening call, “ Papiya, papiya,” which

during the breeding season is to be heard all day and often for the

greater part of the night also, has earned for the utterer its name of

“ Brain-fever Bird.” The plumage is grey above and white tinged

with rufous below. In size it is rather larger than the European

Cuckoo.


Society Cuckoo ( Urodynamis taitensis).


The range of this species extends from the Pacific Islands to

New Zealand, its breeding-place being the latter, where it lays its



* [A bright yellow pea-meal, ground to the consistency of flour, which is mixed

with melted butter.— Ed.1


f [In 1902 there was a small importation of koels: a female which I purchased on

September 9th lived till November 10th, and was described by me in The

Avicultural Magazine for March, 1903. Sue was very tame, but greedy and

sluggish.—G. R.]



