The Indian Koel. 217 



invariably destroy the eggs of the babbler by driving 

 a hole into them with their beaks, and sucking a por- 

 tion or the whole of their contents. "'■■ 



The female koel (from ku-il, its cry), as has long 

 been known in India, deposits her eggs almost ex- 

 clusively in the nest of the common crow {Corvus 

 splendens) ; more rarely in that of the carrion crow 

 {Corvns culminatus). " She only, in general, lays one 

 egg in each crow's nest, and mostly, but not always, 

 destroys the egg or eggs of the crow at the time of 

 depositing her own. It is a popular belief that the 

 crow discovers the imposture when the young koel is 

 nearly full-grown, and ejects it from the nest ; but 

 this I do not think is usually the case, for I have 

 frequently seen the crow feeding the young koel 

 after it had left the nest. Some observers declare 

 that the old female koel often watches the nest in 

 which she has deposited her eggs, and when the birds 

 are full-grown, entices them away, or, if expelled, 

 looks after them and feeds them for a few days ; but 

 I doubt if this be the general practice. . . The crows 

 seem to know full well that they are cuckolded by 

 the koel, for at times you see them pursuing these 

 cuckoos with the utmost energy, and Mr. Frith, as 

 quoted by Blyth, states that one dashed itself against 

 a window and was killed, when pursued by a 

 crow."t 



The koel (Eudynamys honorata) is common in the 

 Andamans and Nicobars, having been observed by 

 Colonel Tytler, besides being frequently heard by 



* Hume, ii, p. 389. 

 \yerdon, i, p. 344. 



