THE BIRDS OE AUSTRALIA. 
collection I have their eggs taken with forty species of foster-parents. The 
earliest date I have taken their eggs was on August 23rd, 1909, in a nest of 
the Brown-headed Honey-eater, and the latest November 17th, 1909, in a 
nest of the White-plumed Honey-eater.” 
Berney, in the Emu, Vol. VI., p. 44, 1906, states : “ At one time or 
another the Pallid Cuckoo is to be found here (Richmond district, North 
Queensland) during all the seasons of the year ; though undoubtedly migratory, 
it is hard to form any opinion as to just what is the order of its coming and 
its going, so irregular are its movements.” 
Captain S. A. White has written me : “ Heteroscenes pallidus is a very 
early spring visitor to the Adelaide plains : often in July their strange scale- 
like note is heard ; they are more numerous during good seasons and are not 
seen during droughts ; they will fly from one dead tree top to another or 
from fencing post to fencing post uttering their mournful cry. When they 
alight they invariably have their long tails at almost right angles to their 
bodies and slowly let it fall. Small birds of many species mob them from 
place to place ; foster-parents for their young are Honey-eaters, sometimes 
Melithreptus gularis, but more often Meliphaga sonora, the latter bird’s eggs 
being very like those of the Cuckoo. My wife and I met with these birds in 
great numbers at the head of Eyre’s Peninsula in 1912 migrating to the south. 
We also found the bird right though Central Australia.” 
Mr. J. W. Mellor’s notes confirm the above in their entirety ; while F. E. 
Howe adds : “ Appears at Ringwood, Victoria, during September, and 
commences to live a lively existence, continually chasing one another or being 
pursued by every other bird it meets. Their eggs have been noticed in the 
nests of Rhipidura tricolor, R. albiscapa and Pachycephala rufiventris, but 
they are more partial to those of the Honey-eaters. I have never noticed 
an egg in a domed nest.” 
Mr. H. S. Dove has sent me the following about the calls of this species : 
“ Oct. 21, 1911. A pair of Pallid Cuckoos apparently just arriving (in 
Tasmania) from over the Straits, soon after seven o’clock on a sunny 
morning, with a light southerly breeze (the birds came from the north). 
One alighted on a gum-tree on the Parade, and gave the usual call, running 
up the scale, the other settled on a lower Hmb, and called ‘ Pweee ! ’ The 
first flew down, wUen the other immediately left, flying strongly to the south 
(inland). During the afternoon of the same day, a fine bird was seen near the 
nest of a White-fronted Chat, calling ‘ Twit ! twit, twit, twit,’ and occasionally, 
‘ Pho-wee,’ a fine rich call, somewhat like the ‘ Pweee ! ’ heard this morning, 
but rounder and richer. November 19th. Fine PaUid Cuckoo sitting on 
garden fence, squatting low with legs concealed, as usual with this species : 
300 
