1. DICRT7KU8. 233 



Hartl. Om. W.-Afr. p. 101; id. J. f. O. 1861, p. 170; Cass. Pr. 



Phil. Acad. 1859, p. 53 ; Grai), Hmul-l. B. i. p. 286 ; Sharps, Ibis, 



1869, p. 190 ; id. Cat. Afr. B. p. 47. 

 Dicriirus, sp., Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 148. 



Dicrurus atripennis, Reichenow, J. f. O. 1874, p. 26 {jiec Swains.). 

 Musicus coracinus, Buuvier, Cat. Ois. Mm-che 4'C. p. 18. 



Adult. Black : above blue-black, with a purplish lustre, but with- 

 out any exact metallic shine on the back, sides of head and neck, 

 and the underparts, all of which are of the same tint ; frontal 

 plumes, which are close-set and slightly curved forwards, and the 

 crown of the head glossy steel-black, this coronal patch tapering off 

 to a point on the occiput ; wings glossy steel-black, the primaries 

 black, externally glossed with metallic colour ; upper and under 

 tail-coverts glossy greenish black, all the feathers margined with 

 metallic black ; tail glossy steel-black, the central feathers entirely 

 of this colour, the others black, glossed externally with metallic 

 steel-black ; under wing-coverts black, with margins of metallic 

 purplish black. Total length 9 inches, culmen 0-95, wing 5-05, 

 tail 4*6, tarsus 0-75. 



Younj. Differs from the adult in having the feathers of the under 

 surface broadly margined with greyish white, the under wing- and 

 tail-coverts included. 



Ohs. D. modestus, from Prince's Island, and D. coracinus, from 

 Gaboon, are not to be separated except by the slightly larger size 

 of the former, which is scarcely a sufficient character. Wing o'l— 

 o'45, tail 4-9-5-25, tarsus 0-8-0-85. The specimen described is a 

 Gaboon bird. Examples from the Gold Coast are less typical, but 

 are not to be specifically distinguished, though they are often more 

 glossy above. Their forked tail prevents their being mistaken for 

 the square- tailed D. atripennis. 



Hah. West Africa, from the Gold Coast to Angola, 



John Gould, Esq. 

 Andrew Swanzy, Esq .[P.]. 

 R. B. Sharpe, Esq. 

 R. B. Sharpe, Esq 

 R. B. Sharpe, Esq. 



R. B. Sharpe, Esq. 

 M. Verreaux. 

 R. B. Sharpe, Esq. 

 R. B. Sharpe, Esq. 

 Dr. A. Dohrn [C.]. 

 J. J. Monteiro, Esq. 

 R. B. Sharpe, Esq. 



6. Licrums ludwigfii. 



Dicrurus ludwigii. Smith, III. Zool. S. Afr. pi. 34: Gray, Gen. B. i. 

 p. 287: Bp. Consp. p. .352 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1864, p. 351 : Layard, 

 B. S. Afr. p. 154 : Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p.47 ; Shellei/, Ibis, 1875, 

 p. 75. 



Melsenornis ludwigii, Gray, Hand-l. B. i. p. 288. 

 VOL. in. R 



