THE KOEL. 117 



by the " seven sisters," and in connection with his 

 resemblance to the shikra it may be noted that one 

 observer states that the whole sisterhood make 

 themselves scarce when Hierococcyx appears on the 

 scene, and thus give her a fair field for planting her 

 oval imposition on them. On the other hand, as has 

 been stated in the chapter dealing with those birds, the 

 shabby seven have been known to show a bold front 

 to the real enemy, and moreover the young brain-fever 

 bird is as similar to a young hawk as its parent is to 

 an old one ; so that general rather than special 

 deception may be the object of this remarkable resem- 

 blance, which occurs to a certain extent in many 

 parasitic cuckoos, including the familiar bird at home 

 {Cuculus mnorus). This also occurs here, and may 

 be heard any spring day at Darjeeling, together 

 with a larger mountaineering relative of the brain- 

 fever bird (Hierococcyx sparverioides). India, indeed, 

 rejoices in a number of cuckoos, both of the sort 

 " as doesn't lay 'is own eggs 'isself," and of the more 

 honest section who behave in domestic matters like 

 any ordinary bird. About Calcutta one may occa- 

 sionally meet, of the former kind, the handsome 

 black and white Crested Cuckoo {Coccystes jacohinus), 

 which the natives will call a bulbul, and of the latter, 

 the awkward looking Crow-pheasant {Centropus 

 sinensis) with its black body and tan wings, which 



