The third of the cuckoos which enlivens the hot weather in the plains is the Indian cuckoo (_Cuculus micropterus_). This species dwells chiefly in the Himalayas, but late in April or early in May certain individuals seek the hot plains and remain there for some months. They do not extend very far into the peninsula, being numerous only in the sub-Himalayan tracts as far south as Fyzabad. The call of this cuckoo is melodious and easily recognised. Indians represent it as _Bouto-taku_, while some Englishmen maintain that the bird says "I've lost my love." To the writer's mind the cry is best represented by the words _wherefore_, _wherefore_, repeated with musical cadence. This bird does not usually call much during the day. It uplifts its voice about two hours before sunset and continues calling intermittently until some time after sunrise. The note is often uttered while the bird is on the wing. Scarcely less vociferous than the cuckoos are the owls. Needless to state that the tiny spotted owlets make a great noise in May. They are loquacious throughout the year, especially on moonlight nights. Nor do they wait for the setting of the sun until they commence to pour forth what Eha terms a "torrent of squeak and chatter and gibberish." Almost as abundant as the spotted owlet is the jungle owlet (_Glaucidium radiatum_). This species, like the last-mentioned, does not confine its vocal efforts to the hot weather. It is vociferous throughout the year; however, special mention must be made of it in connection with the month of May, because it is not until a human being sleeps out of doors that he takes much notice of the bird. The note of this owl is very striking. It may be likened to the noise made by a motor cycle when it is being started. It consists of a series of dissyllables, low at first with a pause after each, but gradually growing in intensity and succeeding one another at shorter intervals, until the bird seems to have got fairly into its stride, when it pulls up with dramatic suddenness. Tickell thus syllabises its call: _Turtuck_, _turtuck_, _turtuck_, _turtuck_, _turtuck_, _tukatu_, _chatatuck_, _atuckatuck_. Another sound familiar to those who sleep out of doors at this season is a low, soft "what," repeated at intervals of about a minute. The writer ascribes this call to the collared scops owl (_Scops bakkamoena_). Mr. A. J. Currie, however, asserts that the note in question is that emitted by spotted owlets (_Athene brama_) when they have young. He states that he has been quite close to the bird when it was calling. A little patient observation will suffice to decide the point at issue. It is easy to distinguish between the two owls, as the scops has aigrettes or "horns," which the spotted owlet lacks.