MALACONOTIN^. 103 



Subfamily II. MALACONOTIN^. 



Peathers of the back very broad and lax and soft, forming a very 

 thick and ahnost woolly covering. Bill strong ; culmen rather straight, 

 but bent at the apex, toothed and uotched. Nostrils free, uncovered 

 by feathers. First primary at least half the length of the second 

 primary ; tip of wing formed by primaries 4, 5, 6. Tail about equal 

 in length to wing, except in L. cruentus, in which tail = | wing in 

 length. No crest. First secondaries about five sixths or more of the 

 length of the whole wing. 



Sexes mostly alike in plumage ; young birds without cross 

 markings. 



Ramje. Africa ; Madagascar ; India. 



Key to the Genera. 



a. Tarsus posteriorly covered with large scales. 

 a'. Second primary equal to the secondaries 

 in length ; nostrils round and open, mar- 

 gins completely ossified ; bill laterally 

 very much compressed. 

 a". Bill long and strongly hooked ; nasal 

 bristles and small feathers approaching 

 the hinder margin of the nostrils .... 4. Vanga, p. 104. 

 b". Bill without a hook at the tip ; nostrils 

 quite free, not approached by any nasal 

 plumes ; bill bluish white. 

 a'". Maxilla fitting completely into (or 



over) the mandible 5. Abtamia, p. 106. 



b'". Mandible bent upwards, so as to leave 



a space between it and the maxilla 6. Xenopieosteis, 

 b'. Second primary very long, exceeding the [p. 109, 

 secondaries in length ; nostrils in a 

 groove, the posterior part of which re- 

 mains coriaceous and forms an oper- 

 culum 7. PTEREEYTHRirs, 



c'. Second primary decidedly shorter than the [p. 112. 



secondaries, which are nearly as long as 

 the innermost primaries. 

 c". Tail square or slightly emarginated, the 

 central tail-feathers being the shortest; 



tail much shoi-ter than wing 8. Calicalicxts *, 



d". Tail rounded or graduated, the outer [p. 119. 



tail-feathers always being shorter than 

 the rest. 

 c'". Always a great deal of chestnut 

 colour in the plumage ; wing- 

 coverts always chestnut; wings 

 very much rounded 9. Telophonus, p. 120. 



* Here may be mentioned Neolestes (p. 170), which has been placed by 

 Cabanis near Calicalicus; it does not appear to be a Bush- Shrike, but to be 

 allied to the Bulbuls or PycnonotincB. Bill not laterally compressed, but con- 

 siderably broader than high ; genys decidedly curved downwards, and not up- 

 wards as in all the Laniidce ; nostrils with a very well developed coriaceous 

 operculum ; strong rictal bristles; tail rounded and slightly shorter tlian wings. 



