42^ BIRDS OF INDIA. 



abdomen, flanks, and under tail-coverts ; the wings and tail arc 

 dinoier black, and the wing-spot is yellow; the under tail-coverts of 

 the wing are yellow in both sexes ; tail as in the male, but the 

 colours are not quite so bright. 



Bill and legs black: irides brown. Length Gy'L inches; wing2-/^j; 

 extent 8| ; tail 3 ; bill at front y^^ ; tarsusf ^ . 



This pretty and lively little bird is spread throughout the whole 

 of India, extending to the Andaman Islands, and Burmah ; 

 frequenting alike jungles, woods, orchards, gardens, avenues, 

 and thick hedge-rows ; most abundant of course in the more 

 wooded countries. It is an active, restless little creature, ever 

 engaged in diligently examining the extreme branches of trees, 

 gleaning among the foliage, and hanging from the slender twigs like 

 a Titmouse. It feeds on various insects, as small cicada?, beetles, 

 larvffi, &c. It is always in flocks, at times six or seven females may 

 be seen with only one male ; hence the Hindustani name Sath sayili ; 

 and at this same season the males usually associate in flocks by them- 

 selves, though now and then a single female may be seen with them. 



P. fiagransy Boie, apud Bonaparte, is said to be very like P. 

 •peregrinus. It is from Sumatra and Borneo. 



The next bird belongs to a slightly differing section of the genus, 

 with more white, and the female is coloured like a Hemipus, to 

 which I think it exhibits some affinities ; and I first described it as 

 a Flycatcher : the bill is more depressed than in typical Pericrocotus. 



'211. Pericrocotus erythropygius, Jerdon. 



Muscicapa apud Jerdon, Cat. 156 — Blyth, Cat. 1165 — figured 

 in Jakdine's Contributions to Ornithology. 



The White-bellied Minivet. 



Descr. — Male, plumage above (except rump), cheeks and chin, of 

 a glossy blue-black ; beneath, longitudinal stripe on wings, outer 

 edges and tips of the lateral tail-feathers, white ; breast and rump 

 of a fine orange or aurora-red, darkest on the rump. 



The female has the parts that are black in the male, smoky ash- 

 color (except the tail which is deep black), the forehead whitish ; 

 rump and beneath white, tinged with ashy on the breast. 



