228 DICRURID^. 



Family DICRURIDiE. 



Key to the Genera. 



a. Tail more or less forked, generally very deeply 

 so ; plumage ordinary, generally black, with, 

 a more or less pronounced gloss. 

 a'. Tail forked, but the outer feather not end- 

 ing in a racket. 

 a". Fork of tail inconsiderable, not equal to 

 the tarsus in length. 

 a'". Bristles strongly developed, but not 

 reaching beyond the centre of the 

 bill, which is long ; the uncovered 

 part of the maxilla from the nostril 

 to the tip much broader than the bill 

 at gape. 

 a^ . Tail nearly square, the outer feather 



not curved upwards 1. Dicrubus, p. 229. 



b^. Tail nearly square, but the outer 

 . feather recurved on itself towards 

 the tip ; head furnished in some 

 species with long silky hairs .... 2. Chibia, p. 234. 

 b'". Bristles enormously developed, pass- 

 ing beyond the tip of the bill, which 

 is short and stout, the uncovered 

 part of the maxilla from the nostrils 

 to the tip being about equal to the 



breadth of the bill at gape 3. Ch^tobhynchus, 



b". Fork of tail strongly pronounced, the p. 242. 



tarsus always less than the distance 

 between the tips of the middle and 

 outer feathers. 

 f'". Outer tail-feather not strikingly re- 

 curved at the tip, and not produced 

 in a prominent manner, but ap- 

 proached by the successive gradua- 

 tion of the other tail-feathers. 

 c*. Plumage scaly or spangled in ap- 

 pearance everywhere, the feathers 

 with metallic tips ; frontal plumes 

 very dense and extending a good 

 way on the upper mandible, the 

 exposed part of the culmen not 

 exceeding the hind toe in length . 4. Chaptia, p. 243. 

 (I*. Plumage ordinary black or grey, 

 with metallic gloss ; frontal plumes 

 dense, but not extending as far as 

 in the preceding genus, the e.x- 

 posed part of the bill exceeding 

 the hind toe in length. 

 a*. With full crest of frontal plumes, 



