41() birds of india. 



The Dark-grey Cuckoo-shrike. 



Bescr. — Plumage iron-grey, darker and almost black on the quills 

 and tail ; the latter tipped white on all but the central feathers ; 

 paler o-rey beneath. Young birds are dusky-grey above, paler 

 beneath, with dark bands, albescent on the under tail-coverts. 



Bill and legs black ; eyes hazel-brown. Length 9^ to 10 inches ; 

 extent 15 ; wing ' ; tail 5^ ; bill at front f ; tarsus |. 



This bird has usually been considered to be the same as the C. 

 fimhriata of Temminck, from Java ; but it appears to be a much 

 larger bird, and to differ in other respects. 



The Dark -grey Cuckoo-shrike is found generally throughout the 

 more wooded parts of India, but is rare in the South. I never saw it 

 from the West coast, nor the Eastern Ghats, near Nellore ; but it has 

 been procured in Goomsoor, and I obtained specimens in Central 

 India, in Bustar and in Bundelkund. It is not rare at Calcutta, and 

 extends to the Himalayas, ranging up to at least 7,000 feet, during 

 the summer. I found it not rare at Darjeeling, where it breeds, 

 as I procured some quite recently flown young ones. It is solitary, or 

 in small parties, frequenting high trees, the foliage of which it 

 diligently searches for various insects. 1 have found caterpillars 

 chiefly, also other soft insects, as well as bugs and beetles, but never 

 berries, which Hodgson says it frequently eats. He also asserts that 

 it freely descends to the ground to feed, which I certainly have never 

 witnessed. It is a silent bird in general, but Button says it has a 

 plaintive note, wliich it repeatedly utters while searching through 

 a tree for insects. The same naturalist found its nest in the 

 fork of a tree high up ; it was small, shallow, made of grey 

 lichens, roots, &c., and plastered over with cobwebs. The 

 eggs were two, dull grey-green, with close streaks of a dusky 

 brown. 



Other species from the East are C. avensis, Blyth, from Bur- 

 mah ; and C. Jimbriatus, T., from Java and Malacca, with which 

 I think Hay's C. culminatus is probably identical. Ceblepijris 

 and Campephaga are both retained by Gray for African 

 types; but Bonaparte restricts Campejjhaga to certain oceanic 

 birds. 



