432 BIRDS OF INDIA. 



deep cinereous, with rusty-claret spots ; and some faintly cinereous, 

 with rufous clay-colored blotches. I obtained one nest and eggs 

 at Darjeeling, and the eggs were white, with purple-claret spots. 

 Layard's remarks on the habits of this species, which is also found 

 in Ceylon, aj)pear more applicable to macrocercus. 



The Long-tailed Drongo has a pleasant song, not so sweet, how- 

 ever, as that of the next species. To this division of Dicrurus 

 belong D. forficatus, from Java ; D. pecinus, Mull., from Sumatra, 

 the smallest of its tribe; and several others from the more distant 

 islands. 



281. Dicrurus ccerulescens, Lin. 



Lanius fingah, Shaw — Edwards, pi. 56 — Jerd., Cat., 56 — 

 Blyth, Cat. 1222 — ^Horsf., Cat. 197 — Phari buchinga, Hind. — 

 Dliapri, H. (Buch. Ham.) — D'houli, Beng. — Nella (or Konda) 

 'passala poligadu, Tel. 



The White-bellied Drongo. 



Descr. — Upper plumage, wings, and tail, black, With a blue gloss ; 

 chin, throat, and breast, iron-grey ; abdomen and lower tail-coverts, 

 white ; bill and feet black ; irides lakeed. 



Length 9^ inches ; wing 4f ; tail nearly 5 ; tarsus j"^ ; bill at 

 front /y. 



This species is the type of Bonaparte's sub-genus Buchanga, to 

 which belong JJ. leucupz/gialis, BL, from Ceylon, very closely allied 

 to i>. cineraceus from Java and China ; and D. leucop/neuSy V. 

 (cineraceus, Blyth), from Malacca. 



The White-bellied Drongo is found throughout India, in open 

 forest, in the well-wooded districts generally, and, now and then, 

 in <i-ardens and groves, throughout the barer portions of the coun- 

 try, but it is nowhere plentiful. Thin open forests are its chief 

 haunts, from the level of the sea, to 4,000 feet of elevation. I 

 have seen it in Malabar, and on the slopes of the Neilgherries, at 

 Madras, Nellore, Central India, and rarely near Calcutta. East- 

 ward of the Bay of Bengal it has not been observed. 



It almost always captures its insect-prey on the wing, from a 

 moderately high perch. I have, however, seen it descend to the 



