DICRURIN^E. 439 



28G. Chibia hottentota, Lin. 



Corvus ap^^d Linnaeus — Blyth, Cat. 1211 — Horsf., Cat. 204 

 — Criniger splendens, TiCKELL — Edolius Khrishna, GouLD — 

 Latham, Gen. Hist. 3 pi. 40 — Chibia casia, Hodgs. — E. barbatus, 

 Gray — Dicrurus criniger, Jerdon, Cat., 2nd Svippl., 58, bis — 

 Klnislina-rnj, or Kishen-raj or Kesraj, Beng., and Hind — Kesya 

 in Nepal — Povong-pho, Lepcb. — Yentika-passala-poli-^adu, Tel. z. e. 

 the Haired Drongo. 



The Hair-crested Drongo. 



Descr. — Deep black, with purple and blue reflections on the 

 hind-neck and breast ; wings deep glossy bronze-green ; tail the 

 same ; abdomen deep black ; bill and legs black ; irides red-brown. 

 Length nearly 12 inches ; wing C^ ; tail to end of outer tail- 

 feathers 5 ; bill at front If ; tarsus 1. 



Captain Roberts, of the 36th M. N. I., first made known the 

 existence of this bird in Southern India, he having found it in 

 Coorg; and Lieut, (now Lieut.-Col.) Blake also shot it in the same 

 locality. I procured it afterwards from the Eastern Ghats as 

 mentioned, Madr. Jour. XIIL, and since that have procured it in 

 Malabar. I found it in March on the silk-cotton trees, Bombax 

 malabaricum, several together, apparently feeding on insects 

 harbouring in the fine flowers of that tree, for which its long 

 tenuirostral bill must be well adapted. I again saw it hopping 

 and flying among the branches of a lofty tree in Wynaad, appa- 

 rently picking insects now and then off the twigs or leaves. 

 Tickell, who procured it in the jungles of Chota Nagpore, says that 

 it frequents large timber-trees on the banks of nullahs, tanks, &c., 

 and mentions that the cotton-tree in blossom was a great resort. 

 It frolics about, says he, in small parties ; its voice is changeable, 

 and in constant exertion, from a beautiful song, to whistling, 

 chattering, and creaking like a rusty wheel, at times resembling 

 the higher strains of the organ, both striking and plaintive. 



Besides the locaHties referred to above, the Ilair-crcsted Drongo 

 is found about Calcutta, in the Sunderbuns, and in the Himalayas, 

 extending into Assam. Blyth observed it, in abundance, in 

 parts of the forests of LTpper Martaban. I procured it horn the 



