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Both Canon Tristram and Mr. Stafford Allen agree in stating that the present species has 

 three distinct notes. The former gentleman writes that " its call-note is something like that of 

 C. canorus, probably used by the male ; its cry of alarm something between that of the Jay and 

 the Roller ; and its third note, ' Wurree, Wurree,' from which it doubtless derives its Arab name, 

 just as the common Cuckoo is called by them ' Tookook ;' " and Mr. Stafford Allen says that its 

 notes are: — " the ordinary cry of the male, '■Kee ou! kee our a short, grating note of warning or 

 alarm, uttered by the male when disturbed, l Cark! carkV and a kind of angry chattering, that 

 of the female, which I have heard answering the first-mentioned." 



The food of the Great Spotted Cuckoo consists almost entirely of insects of various kinds, 

 especially caterpillars, of which latter Mr. Stafford Allen found as many as twenty-four in one 

 bird. It appears, however, also to some extent to indulge in eggs, as egg-shells have been found 

 in its stomach on dissection. Probably when visiting the nest of a Crow or Magpie for the 

 purpose of placing its egg there it may help itself to an egg or two. 



The mode in which the present species, as well as the common Cuckoo, places its egg in 

 the nest of the bird selected to act as a foster-parent to its progeny, has been the subject of some 

 discussion; but, so far as I can judge, the balance of probability appears to be on the side of its 

 taking its egg in its beak and placing it thus in the nest. I have certainly seen eggs of the 

 common Cuckoo placed in nests into which the Cuckoo certainly could only have got its head 

 and not its body ; and Mr. Howard Saunders (Ibis, 1869, p. 401) writes as follows : — " The Great 

 Spotted Cuckoo is far more abundant here [Aranjuez] than it is in the Cotos, depositing its eggs 

 as there in nests of Pica rustica. The largest number I ever found in one nest was six of the 

 Magpie with four of the Cuckoo ; in others one or two was the number. Although I never 

 actually saw the Cuckoo deposit its egg, yet I saw one fly past me which I feel sure had some- 

 thing like an egg in its gullet ; from the side of another nest I saw the Cuckoo go off, leaving a 

 broken Magpie's egg at the foot of the tree ; and in the nest an egg of her own wet with yelk. 

 As we came up her head was in the nest ; and she fairly backed out, which she would never have 

 done if it were her habit to lay her egg in the nest as ordinary birds do, in which case her head 

 would have been looking outwards. It seems to be pretty positive proof that the Cuckoo flew 

 to the Magpie's nest with her own egg in her mouth, deposited it there, took out one egg of 

 the Magpie's, crushed it with her bill, and, dropping the fragments outside, returned to arrange 

 her own egg comfortably in the place now vacant. If not, why does it constantly, I may say 

 generally, happen that the Cuckoo's egg is smeared with yelk, whilst the remaining Magpie's 

 eggs are as constantly clean I I also noticed that, when a Cuckoo was near, the Magpies could 

 hardly be induced to leave their nests ; whereas at other times there was no hesitation on their 

 part. Any one who could give a week's attention to this point, could easily settle it by the aid 

 of a good binocular glass, as the Magpies' nests are visible from a long distance, and the mode 

 of deposit adopted by the Cuckoo could be easily distinguished." 



Of the eggs of the present species I have a tolerably large series, sixteen in number, all 

 obtained in Spain and Egypt. They somewhat resemble the eggs of the Magpie, but are much 

 more delicately marked and paler in colour. The ground-colour is very pale blue, with a greenish 

 tinge ; and the markings, which are sometimes only small dots scattered over the surface of the 

 egg, and at others tolerably bold blotches, are pale liver-brown, and tolerably bright reddish 



