PHiENICOPHAIN^. 345 



bills are brightly coloiived, and the bare skin round the edge is 

 considerably developed, and generally highly coloured, blue, oi 

 green, or crimson. They live mainly on insects. 



Some systematists include in this family the CrotophagcB of S. 

 America, and the Scythrops of Australia ; but the former are 

 more nearly related to the birds of the next sub-family, and per- 

 haps form a sub-family of their own ; and Scthryops appears to 

 be a link between the Cuculince and Phcenicophaince, being allied 

 to the one by colour and parasitic haoits, and to the other by the 

 structure of its bill, wings and legs. 



Gen. Zanclostomus, Swainson. 



Char. — Bill much compressed throughout, curved both at the 

 culmen and lower mandible ; nostrils basal, oval, pierced in a 

 slight depression in the horny substance ; wing short, rounded, 

 with the 4th, 5th and 6th quills nearly equal and longest ; tail 

 much lengthened, graduated ; tarsus moderate or longish ; hallux 

 very short; claws well curved, sharp. 



Species of this genus occur rarely in Africa and are common in 

 India. 



215. Zanclostomus tristis, Less. 



Melias, apud Lesson, Belanger, Voyage, pi. — Blyth, Cat. 

 374_HoESF., Cat. lOll— Jeedon, 2nd Suppl. Cat. 229 bis— - 

 Phajnicophaus longicaudatus, Blyth — P. montanus, Hodgs. — 

 Sankumojig, Lepch — Ban-kokU, Beng. 



The Large Green-billed Malkoha. 



Descr. — General plumage dark greenish-grey ; the head and 

 upper part of tiie neck more cinereous ; wings and tail dark shi- 

 ning green ; the tail with a white tip to each feather ; front of neck 

 and breast paler grey, passing into whitish on the throat and immedi- 

 ately around the naked space surrounding the eye ; these whitish 

 feathers having dark shafts, which terminate in a slightly prolonged 

 hair-like bristle ; the small anterior portion of the lores black. 



Bill bright apple-green ; bare papillose skin round the eyes dull 

 crimson ; iridcs dark brown ; legs greenish-slaty. 



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