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...About 56 of the Old World species and 3 of the New World species are brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other birds.[14] These species are obligate brood parasites, meaning that they only reproduce in this fashion. In addition to the above noted species, yet others sometimes engage in non-obligate brood parasitism, laying their eggs in the nests of members of their own species in addition to raising their own young. The best-known example is the European Common Cuckoo. The shells of the eggs of brood-parasites are usually thick.[16]They have two distinct layers with an outer chalky layer that is believed to provide resistance to cracking when the eggs are dropped in the host nest.[17] The cuckoo egg hatches earlier than the host's, and the cuckoo chick grows faster; in most cases the chick evicts the eggs or young of the host species. The chick has no time to learn this behavior, so it must be aninstinct passed on genetically. The chick encourages the host to keep pace with its high growth rate with its rapid begging call[18] and the chick's open mouth which serves as a sign stimulus.[19]
---wiki
In my time at IIT KGP there was a curious phenomenon of the residential Qrs akin to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation affecting the Indian Monsoon.
There would be times when there was an acute shortage of Qrs and a bitter fight for the few available ones. And the IIT would then go in for a rapid construction of a huge number of new Qrs and that would lead to a glut of Qrs leading to eviction of people from their comfortable existing Qrs to newly built ones.
I was a victim of both, several times over, during my 40 year sojourn there.
Sometime in the 70s Prof RKM who was a professor living in a lowly C1-type Qrs was biding his time to shift to a B-type with a sumptuous garden space, accumulating seniority to be on the top of the list of eligible professors.
And one day his dream came true in the form of an Allotment Letter asking him to move to one of the most coveted B-types. There were several rules:
You had to sign the letter either accepting or rejecting the given Qrs within seven days and drop it into the box.
If you didn't accept the given Qrs, your name would be struck off from the top of seniority list and go to the bottom.
If you did sign acceptance, you had to get the keys of the Qrs issued from the Maintenance Section under the joint signatures of yours and the issuing clerk's within 7 days of accepting the offer.
After getting the keys issued, you had to move within 20 days and surrender your old Qrs...otherwise you will be billed penal rents.
And a hundred such ifs and buts...
Prof RKM was overjoyed with the Qrs allotted to him and signed acceptance the same day and dropped it in the box.
But he was going to Puri with his extended family on a preplanned precious holiday within a week. So, he used his influence with the clerk and got the key issued for just a week so he could get the Qrs cleaned before he could move in after returning from his Puri holiday.
And he employed a dozen sweepers and malis and men and maids and got his new Qrs cleaned, in and out and spick and span. And returned the key to the Maintenance for safe-keeping saying he would get it officially issued within a week. The reason was that thefts were rampant during those days and any Qrs that was unoccupied or unguarded would be broken in and fans and lights and whatever could be removed would be removed overnight and whisked away.
And he enjoyed his vacation thoroughly asking his mali to sleep in his old Qrs till he got back...a drill all of us had to go through.
And returned and went straight to have a look at his gleaming new B-type Qrs.
And found that a large family had already moved in and were enjoying the fruits of his labor.
And found that the squatter was a young man new to the campus.
Since he was too much of a gentleman to create a scene, RKM walked straight into the Director's Office to get to know what transpired during his Puri Hoilday.
And the Director was apologetic and told him that he was very keen on getting this new professor to join IIT KGP fresh from Caltech but the gentleman was insisting he would join if and only if he gets the best available Qrs allotted to him as soon as he landed in India.
And the Diro promised Prof RKM that he would be allotted the next B-type Qrs that fell vacant disregarding all rules and regulations.
And Prof RKM had to wait another six months before moving into a fabulous B-type that happened to be opposite to my own C1-97...
...and we became lifelong friends then on....
...Posted by Ishani
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Asian Koel...wiki
---wiki
In my time at IIT KGP there was a curious phenomenon of the residential Qrs akin to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation affecting the Indian Monsoon.
There would be times when there was an acute shortage of Qrs and a bitter fight for the few available ones. And the IIT would then go in for a rapid construction of a huge number of new Qrs and that would lead to a glut of Qrs leading to eviction of people from their comfortable existing Qrs to newly built ones.
I was a victim of both, several times over, during my 40 year sojourn there.
Sometime in the 70s Prof RKM who was a professor living in a lowly C1-type Qrs was biding his time to shift to a B-type with a sumptuous garden space, accumulating seniority to be on the top of the list of eligible professors.
And one day his dream came true in the form of an Allotment Letter asking him to move to one of the most coveted B-types. There were several rules:
You had to sign the letter either accepting or rejecting the given Qrs within seven days and drop it into the box.
If you didn't accept the given Qrs, your name would be struck off from the top of seniority list and go to the bottom.
If you did sign acceptance, you had to get the keys of the Qrs issued from the Maintenance Section under the joint signatures of yours and the issuing clerk's within 7 days of accepting the offer.
After getting the keys issued, you had to move within 20 days and surrender your old Qrs...otherwise you will be billed penal rents.
And a hundred such ifs and buts...
Prof RKM was overjoyed with the Qrs allotted to him and signed acceptance the same day and dropped it in the box.
But he was going to Puri with his extended family on a preplanned precious holiday within a week. So, he used his influence with the clerk and got the key issued for just a week so he could get the Qrs cleaned before he could move in after returning from his Puri holiday.
And he employed a dozen sweepers and malis and men and maids and got his new Qrs cleaned, in and out and spick and span. And returned the key to the Maintenance for safe-keeping saying he would get it officially issued within a week. The reason was that thefts were rampant during those days and any Qrs that was unoccupied or unguarded would be broken in and fans and lights and whatever could be removed would be removed overnight and whisked away.
And he enjoyed his vacation thoroughly asking his mali to sleep in his old Qrs till he got back...a drill all of us had to go through.
And returned and went straight to have a look at his gleaming new B-type Qrs.
And found that a large family had already moved in and were enjoying the fruits of his labor.
And found that the squatter was a young man new to the campus.
Since he was too much of a gentleman to create a scene, RKM walked straight into the Director's Office to get to know what transpired during his Puri Hoilday.
And the Director was apologetic and told him that he was very keen on getting this new professor to join IIT KGP fresh from Caltech but the gentleman was insisting he would join if and only if he gets the best available Qrs allotted to him as soon as he landed in India.
And the Diro promised Prof RKM that he would be allotted the next B-type Qrs that fell vacant disregarding all rules and regulations.
And Prof RKM had to wait another six months before moving into a fabulous B-type that happened to be opposite to my own C1-97...
...and we became lifelong friends then on....
...Posted by Ishani
********************************************************************************************************************************
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