480 Mr. W. Jesse on the 
Martin was fool enough to come to the mouth of the hole to 
find out what was up, it was promptly seized and devoured. 
Mr. A. O. Hume and others state that the Koel some- 
times lays its eggs in the nest of this bird ; but I fancy that 
it rarely does so here, and the Black Cuckoo scarcely ever 
puts in an appearance much before the end of the second 
week in April, by which time nearly every Jungle-Crow 
has hatched its eggs. 
No. 7. CoRvus sPLENDENs. Indian House-Crow. 
Kowa [H. Lucknow]. 
The House-Crow with its glossy black and grey plumage 
is too familiar a bird to need any description. It is a 
general scavenger, aiding the Kites, Vultures, and Jungle- 
Crows. Mr. George Reid says that ''it robs nests, if not 
habitually, at least occasionally, for I have more than once 
seen it despatching eggs with great gusto/' 
No bird, not even the famous Jackdaw of Rheims, is half 
so impudent. Often whilst the Martiniere boys — some 250 
or more — have been actually sitting at meals, I have seen 
Crows come through the open windows and snatch scraps 
off the table before anyone could touch them. When once 
the signal to dismiss had been given, the Crows would dart 
in instantly, and the Kitmatgbars would be seen rushing 
round to drive them away from what they (the natives) 
looked upon as their lawful perquisites. 
This Crow breeds in numbers during the rains. Mr. Reid 
says "very generally in July and August" ; but nearly all 
my eggs, and I have taken dozens, have been procured 
during the month of June. 
It breeds on any tree, but I think for choice on the 
babools along the railway-line. The nest is composed of 
an outer layer of sticks, the thornier the better, lined inside 
with grass — never with hair, as is invariably the case with 
C. macrorhynchus . The eggs are usually four in number, 
though occasionally I have taken five. In the nests of this 
bird the hen Koel [Eudynamys honoratd) lays her eggs. I 
have taken sometimes one, sometimes two, KoeFs eggs 
