DICRURUS. 703 



Species. 



a^. Lower breast, abdomen, and crissum black, glossed with green or blue. 



6*. Back strongly glossed with green balicassius (p. 703) 



¥. Back velvety black with little or no gloss. 



c*. Smaller; wing, 130 to 135 mm.; tail, 112 to 115 striatus (p. 704) 



c*. Larger; wing, 145 to 155 mm.; tail, 133 to 136 suluensis (p. 704) 



a*. Lower breast, abdomen, and crissum white mirabilis (p. 705) 



716. DICRURUS BALICASSIUS (Linnisus). 

 NOETHERN DRONGO. 



Gorvus balicassius Linn^us, Syst. Nat. ed. 12 (1766), 1, 157. 



Dicrurus balicassius Tweeddale, Trans. Zool. Soc. (1875), 9, 180, pi. 31, 

 fig. 1; Shaepe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1877), 3, 230; Whitehead, Ibis 

 (1899), 101 (song) ; McGeegoe and Woecestee, Hand-List (1906), 107. 



Dicrurus balicassius mindorensis Meaens, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. (1909), 

 36, 447.* 



Ba-li-ca-si-ao, Filipino name. 



Lubang {McGregor) ; Luzon {Meyer, Everett, Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, 

 McGregor, Bartsch) ; Marinduque {Steere Exp.) ; Mindoro f {Steere Exp., Schmac- 

 ker. Bourns d Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor, Meams) ; Polillo {McGregor) ; 

 Verde {McGregor.) 



Adult (sexes alike). — Black, the exposed edges of the feathers glossed 

 with steel-green which changes to dark purple in some lights; lores 

 velvety black ; feathers of throat and chest somewhat lanceolate ; feathers 

 of sides and flanks white or light gray basally; wing-lining and axillars 

 glossy steel-blue. A male from Lubang Island measures : Length, 267 ; 

 wing, 145; tail, 126; bill from nostril, 20; depth of bill at nostril, 10; 

 tarsus, 23. A female from Bataan Province, Luzon, measures: Wing, 

 141 ; tail, 118 ; bill from nostril, 21 ; depth of bill at nostril. 11 ; tarsus, 

 24. 



"The Philippine representatives of this genus are all bold, impudent 

 birds, and invariably appear when there is any disturbance in the woods. 

 If picked up when wounded they bite and scratch viciously. They all 

 feed exclusively on insects so far as our observation goes. Three male 

 birds from Mindoro measure as follows: Wing, 138; tail, 113; culmen, 

 32; tarsus, 23; middle toe with claw, 24. Three females from Luzon, 

 wing, 131; tail, 116.5; culmen, 31; tarsus, 23; middle toe with claw, 24. 

 Bill, legs, feet, and nails black. Found breeding on the 25th of April." 

 (Bourns and Worcester MS.) 



* "Characters. — Slightly larger than Dicrurus balicassius from Luzon Island ; 

 also differing in having the metallic reflections of the upper parts and breast 

 greenish blue instead of bluish green. 



"Measurements of type (adult male). — Wing, 148; tail, 130; culmen, 27; 

 tarsus, 25." {Mea/ms.) 



t Wrongly given as "Mindanao" in McGregor and Worcester's Hand-List, p. 107. 



