Birds of Lucknow. 543 
have never seen nor heard it at other times. It is far 
from common ; but its rich mellow notes attract attention 
at once. I have only met with it in two or three 
localities. It breeds in the Martiniere Park^ and in some 
of the baghs, or gardens, towards the city^ during the latter 
part of May, June, and July. 
The nest, which is most difficult to discover, I have found 
twice only. On June 10th, 1898, in a so-called " cork ■** 
tree, I found a nest with two eggs. Unfortunately, in 
climbing up, the latter were shaken out of the shallow pad — 
I did not know the sheet trick in those days — and all I got 
were the fragments. A third Qg^, taken from the same nest 
two days previously, was given to me. It measures "81" X 
•65". Two other eggs in my possession measure '77^' x '59" 
and "80" X '60" respectively. In colour they are all of a rich 
deep green, thickly blotched and streaked longitudinally 
with greenish brown. 
The nest is a very flat shallow pad of twigs, rootlets, bark, 
lichens, &c.j and much resembles that of Graucalus macii, 
only it is a little smaller. 
No. 510. Gra-Ucalus macii. Large Cuckoo- Shrike. 
Khaki Popiya [H., teste Reid]. Tree-Plover, Rain-bird 
[Anglo-Indian boys] . 
The Large Grey Cuckoo-Shrike is fairly common in 
Lucknow, and often as many as half a dozen are to be seen 
together. Its flight is undulating, with a few rather rapid 
strokes of the wing every now and again. Often, when 
driving along a road lined with trees, one, or possibly two, 
of these birds have kept me company for a mile or more, 
flitting on from tree to tree just ahead of the tum-tum. The 
nest is a shallow pad of fibres, roots, twigs, cobwebs, &c., 
very small for the size of the bird, and perhaps one of the 
most difficult to find, as the owner is exceedingly chary of 
disclosing its whereabouts. I first found one on a small 
pepul, but the bird deserted it. This was in March. On 
June 12th, 1898, I took two fresh eggs from a nest in the 
fork of a sheshum tree close to the road in the Martiniere 
