288 BULLETIN 186, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



The habits and notes of this species seem not to differ essentially 

 from those of the common black drongo, which supplants it in low- 

 land cultivated areas. 



Nothing is definitely known of the breeding season, which prob- 

 ably falls in spring. All specimens taken between July 25 and No- 

 vember 23 are in molt. 



My examples had the irides bright red or brownish red; the bill, 

 feet, toes, and claws black. 



This drongo has the lores and frontal area blackish; the rest of 

 the plumage (except for the blackish primaries) blue-gray with a 

 steely sheen (the underparts paler and with much less gloss). 



The species is highly migratory and comparative series of measure- 

 ments have little significance unless based upon resident adults. The 

 breeding bird of South Annam {rocki) is smaller (especially in length 

 of tail) than that of our provinces ; the latter may be considered an 

 intermediate between rocki and hopwoodi and is best called mouhoti. 

 The measurements given by Walden for the type specimen of mouhoti 

 show it to have been just such an intermediate bird, and I am of the 

 opinion that it occurred in Cambodia merely as a winter visitor from 

 some more northern locality. 



DICRURUS LEUCOPHAEUS HOPWOODI Stuart Baker 



Assamese Pale Ashy Drongo 



Dicrurus leucophaeus hopwoodi Stuart Baker, Nov. Zool., vol. 25, 1918, p. 294 



(Dacca, Bengal). 

 Dicrurus leucophaeus hopwoodi [partim], Chasen and Boden Kloss, Journ. 



Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., 1932, p. 247 (Doi Suthep [partim]). 

 Dicrurus leucophaeus hopwoodi, Riley, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 172, 1938, p. 280 



(Doi Suthep). 

 Dicrurus leucophaeus mouhoti [partim], Riley, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 172, 1938, 



p. 281 (Khun Tan). 



During the cold season a darker race of the pale ashy drongo ap- 

 pears in small numbers on the hills of the western provinces. I have 

 examined specimens of this migratory form, taken between October 

 9 and March 14, from Doi Khun Tan (3,000-4,400 feet), Doi Suthep 

 (5,400-5,500 feet), and Doi Mae Kong Ka. 



The ashy drongo has been observed on Doi Suthep above 4,500 feet 

 only during the winter months, and every specimen from that eleva- 

 tion has proved to be of the darker type. This will doubtless prove 

 to be the case also upon other high mountains. 



Full-plumaged adults of the Assamese pale ashy drongo differ from 

 the Indo-Chinese "in being just a shade darker and in having the 

 wings a trifle longer and the tails distinctly longer" (Ticehurst, Ibis, 

 1936, p. 280). 



Thai examples, all of which seem to be immature, cannot be sepa- 

 rated on measurements from the resident population of pale ashy 





