PERCHINfi-BIRDS. 133 



breed in colonics, tlic Af/oheimP nnd Qidscalhue mnkiiii;- cnp-sliaped nests, 

 wliile the Icteriiue and Cr/ssiviiKe Iniild elaborate stnictnres, which rival 

 those of the Weavers. 



Family XXXVII. Okiolipe. Ohioi.es. 

 The Orioles form a well-marked group of brightly colonrcd birds [Ciisesj.] 

 mostly of a golden yellow contrasting with deep l)lack. They are 

 entirely confined to the Old World, and range from Africa, through 

 Europe and Asia, to Australia. Tiiey are arboreal in their habits, and 

 feed on fruit.s, especially ehevries, and insects. Tlie (iolden Oriole 

 (Orwli/s f/al/wJu] (2705) is an annual spring migrant to the south of 

 England, and, if niiniolested, would breed there reguhirly. Its cradle- 

 like nest is skilfully sus])endod in the fork of a branch, and the eggs 

 are white, blotched with reddish-purple. Oriohis Iru'illi (2712), witli 

 its crimson and black plumage, represents a differently coloured section 

 of the genus, met with in I<]a.steru Asia, and Sp/iccul/irres (2710-1) is 

 the representative form in Australia and New Guinea. 



Family XXXVIII. Dicrurid^. Drongos. 



Tlieso Crow-like Flycatchers form one of the best-defined families of [Cusp 82.] 

 Passcres, and range from Africa, India, and China tlirough tiie Malayan 

 Archipelago to Aiistralia. In nearly all the species the plumage is 

 black and the tail strongly forked, especially in the species of Jhic/i<iii</u 

 ( 2699 ), and in some forms, such as Diss('iiiuni.<; (2700) and Bhriiu/a (2701) , 

 the outer tail-feathers are greatly ])rolouged, ending in a "racket"; 

 while otliers, such as Chibid (2695), have a long hairy crest of barl)less 

 plumes. They feed habitually on the wing, darting from some i;erch 

 on a tree to catch passing insects. The Larger Racket-tailed Drongo 

 {Dissemrirus /Jiirinliseus) (2700) of India has a really fine song, and is 

 perhaps the best singing-bird in the East. The cup-shaped or cradle- 

 like nest (2694 a) is placed in the fork of a tree, and the eggs are whitish 

 marked with various shades of red. 



Family XXXIX. Eurvcerotid.e. Ma».\gascar Starlings. 



Eid-ijcvrds jirecosti (2693), a native of Madagascar, is the sole repre- [Case 82.] 

 scntative of this family, and is remarkable on account of its abnormally 

 deep stout bill. 



Family XL. KuLAiiETin.?: . Tree-Starlinos. 



The Starlings included iu this family differ from the true Starlings [Case 83.] 

 {Stvniidce) in being strictly arboreal in their habits, in being provided 



