( 175 ) 



Distribution. — India and southern 

 China. A rather rare summer visitant 

 in the Yangtse Valley. 



Nest and Eggs. — The nest is a 

 shallow cup of twigs, coated with 

 lichens and cobwebs, and placed on the 

 limb of a tree. The eggs are greenish 

 white, marked with browns and purple. 



Family, Oicruridae, the Drongos or King 

 Crows. 



Drongos may be distinguished by 

 their black plumage, and their forked 

 tails, of ten feathers, the outer ones 

 being, in some cases, prolonged and 

 rolled or expanded at the end. They 

 have strong Crow-like bills, the edges 

 of both mandibles being smooth, 

 except for a single noteh in the upper 

 one. All have strong bristles at the 

 base of the bill. The sexes are alike, 

 and the plumage of the nestling like 

 the adult, except paler. 



Drongos are entirely insectivorous, 

 feeding on the wing by darting from a 

 perch after passing insects, like a 

 Flycatcher. They are remarkable for 

 their courage, fighting viciously, and 

 readily attacking Crows, Hawks, and 

 other large birds. 



The sixty two species of the 

 Family are confined to the Old World. 

 China has six species, three of which 

 reach the Yangtse Valley. 



THE BLACK DBONGO. 



BUCHANGA ATRA, HEEMANN. 



Description. — Length twelve inches. 

 Bill black. Tarsus black. Iris red. 



The entire plumage is irridescent 

 black. The tail is long and deeply 

 forked, the outer feathers curling up 

 slightly at the end. 



