"Again, on the 9th July, I took a nest in person, which also contained eight eggs. Seven of these are all alike and are well incubated, while the eighth is quite fresh, and doubtless owes its parentage to one of the above-mentioned Cuckoos. "Strange to say I have now another nest marked down, which in like manner contains the same number of callow young. It is just possible that the foster-parents may have to perform double duty in this case. "From the foregoing it may be inferred that _M. canorus_ does occasionally lay more than four eggs, or as the birds are gregarious even during the breeding-season, it is possible enough that two birds may occasionally deposit eggs in the same nest. "I should not think that _H. varius_ (the "Brain-fever and Delirium-tremens Bird" as it is frequently called) had much difficulty in depositing her eggs in the nest of the _Malacocerci_, for I have frequently noticed that all the Babblers in the neighbourhood make a clean bolt of it immediately this Cuckoo puts in an appearance, no doubt owing to its great similarity to the Indian Sparrow-Hawk (_M. badius_). "During the months of September and October I have observed several Babblers in the act of feeding one young _H. varius_, following the bird from tree to tree, and being most assiduous in their attentions to the young interloper." Mr. H.M. Adam remarks:--"I took a nest of this bird in Agra on the 17th July. It contained five eggs, all of which were nearly hatched. Again on the 21st I took another nest containing only one hard-set egg." Writing from Calcutta, Mr. J.C. Parker says:--"I found a nest of this bird, near my house in Garden Reach, on the 23rd June. It contained four fresh eggs." Colonel Butler observes:--"The Bengal Babbler breeds in the neighbourhood of Deesa as a rule, I think, during the rains and in the cold weather, but I have found nests as late as March. The nest is usually placed on the outside branch of some moderate-sized tree (neem &c.). It is a somewhat solidly built structure composed almost entirely of dead twigs, stems of dead leaves, and stalks of coarse dry grass, being lined with a few fine fibrous roots or stems of grass. I found nests on the following dates:-- "July 16, 1875. A nest containing 4 fresh eggs. "March 20, 1876. " " 4 fresh eggs. "May 29, 1876. " " 3 fresh eggs. "June 17, 1876. " " 3 fresh eggs. "June 17, 1876. " " 4 young birds. "Oct. 15, 1876. " " 4 fresh eggs. "Nov. 3, 1876. " " 4 slightly incubated. "In some nests I have noticed a breach upon one side of the nest as if intended for the convenience of the bird's tail. It is not unusual to find an egg of _C. jacobinus_ in the nest."