DICRURINiE. 435 



This very beautiful species of Drongo is only found in our 

 province in the hilly regions of the Himalayas, extending into 

 Assam, Burmah, Tenasscrim, and Malayana. At Darjeeling it is 

 found in the warmer valleys, rarely so high as 4,000 ft. It lives 

 in the dense woods, generally near streams or rivers, and is found 

 in bamboo-jungle. It feeds entirely in the air, on insects of various 

 kinds, and has a fine ringing note, softer than that of Edolius 

 paradiseus. A nest with eggs were brought to me in June, said to 

 be of this species. The nest was loosely made with sticks and roots, 

 and contained three eggs, reddish-white, with a very few reddish- 

 brown blotches. 



The lengthened outer tail-feathers, as I found when at Dar- 

 jeeling, are only a seasonal ornament, being put on at the breeding 

 season. When not in breeding plumage, the outermost tail- 

 feathers are of the ordinary shape, and only slightly exceed the 

 penultimate in length. 



This is the only species of the genus. 



Gen. Edolius, Cuv. 



Syn. Dissemurus, Glog. (Gray retains Edolius for L.forjicatus^ 

 and adopts Dissemurus.^ 



Char. — Bill lengthened, strong, moderately depressed at the 

 base, compressed towards the tip ; the culmen well curved and 

 hooked and distinctly notched, and the ridge well developed ; rictal 

 bristles long, rather weak ; a few short frontal plumes cresting the 

 nostrils, but they mostly rise up and fall back over the forehead, 

 forming a fine crest ; tail forked, the outermost pair have the 

 inner webs gradually thinning off, and the shaft is bare for some 

 distance, terminating in a web, long and broadish on the outer side, 

 with a narrow and short web on the inner side. 



284. Edolius paradiseus, Lin. 



Syn. L. malabaricus, Latham, Gen. Hist., 2, pi. 18 — Chibia 

 malabaroides, HoDOS. — E. grandis, Blyth, J. A. S., XL, 170 — 

 E. dentirostrisof Oriss», Jerd., Madr. Jour., XIII. 121, var A., 

 and E. Blyth, Cat. 1215 — Horsf., Cat. 202— Bhimraj, H. or 

 Bhring-raj, i. e. 'King of the bees' — Kalgia, Nc])al — Tinka- 



