DRONGO-SHIilKES. 509 



genus Prof/ne, tlie wliitc-belliod swallow, and some others, among which is the Austra- 

 lian Pttrochelkloii niyricans, which lays its eggs in a hollow tree or rock, without any- 

 nesting m.aterial ; (2) those which dig their nest holes in banks of earth or sand, as, 

 for instance, our common bank-swallow and the rough-winged swallows; (3) those 

 which build nests of moist mud and clay ; some of the latter rest the more or less 

 open structure on some fundament, as most species of the genus Chdidon, while others 

 only build it against a ))orpendicular wall of a rock or a house, the nest forming a sec- 

 tion of a globe, e.g.-, the well-known European martin {llirundo urbica), with the 

 feathered feet, figured on the jilate facing i)age 508 ; other species add to the globe a 

 long entrance tube, thereby giving the nest tlic form of a bottle or a retort, promi- 

 nent exam))k's l)eiiig our cliff-swallow {Petrochelidon luiiifroiis), and the two European 

 species figured on the plate already <juoted, the red-rumped swallow, and the crag- 

 martin. 



lieferring to the figures of different species of swallows accompanying this account, 

 we only remark that the European barn-swallow {CheUdon rustica) closely resembles 

 our North American species, from which it chiefly differs in having the under side 

 whitish. In the cut representing our common purple-martin {^Progne subis) (lower 

 figure), and the bank-swallow {('/icico/a riparia), the nest-holes of the breeding colony 

 are visible in the river bank in the background. Similar in color, though perhaps not 

 very nearly related to the latter bird, is our American rougli-winged swallow {Stelgi- 

 dopteri/x serrijx/niit:), remarkable for the curious serration of the first (ninth) ])rimary, 

 the edge of the outer web in the male, caused by the shafts of the barbs ending in a 

 sharp hook. This same peculiarity is also found in an African genus, Pscdidoprocne, 

 but otherwise the two genera art; very different. 



The series of families now to be treated of is ])robably a natural one, taken as a 

 whole, though there may be considerable doubt as to certain forms really belonging 

 here. Some may belong to the Timaliida?, jiroperl)' defined, and others may really be 

 fly-catchers, while one or more genera included in the families already disposed of may 

 naturally come in here. These forms, however, will cause us little trouble in the 

 present connection, inasmuch as the difficulty in properly locating them is the direct 

 result of our ignorance concerning their structure. 



Like most of the families to follow, the CASrPEPiiAGiDJi:, or cuckoo-shrikes, ranging 

 from India to Australia, have been knocketl considerably aljout in the systems. Tliey 

 have a rather short and strong bill, somewhat broadish at the base, hooked and notched 

 at the end. Very characteristic, however, is the structure of the feathers of the lower 

 back and rumj), the shafts of which are stiffened, a feature easily ascertained by ru!i- 

 ning the thumb against the plumage nail down. Though tropical birds, their colora- 

 tion is gi-ayish or blackish, only a few forms being gayly decorated, as, for instance, 

 most species of the genus Pericrocotiis, the bright scarlet vermilion, or yellow and 

 blai'k species of which, in form somewhat resembling wag-tails, are jieculiar to the 

 Oriental region. Of the Indian large ' minivet,' Mr. Jenlan says that, " like the rest 

 of the tribe, it goes in small parties, ho]ij)ing and flying briskly about the branches, 

 picking insects off the leaves and flowers. On one occasion only I saw it descend to 

 the ground. It has a lively, constantly repeated, rather mellow call." The Bengal 

 name, according to Blyth, is ' Sath sati ka]>i,^ meaning 'the beloved of seven damsels.' 



Tlie fork-tailed Dn ituuiD-K, or drongo-shrikes, fomi another Oriental family, which 

 also spreads into Africa and Australia. The most noteworthy features are the shrike- 

 like bills, the glossy black crow-like coloration, and the peculiar furcation of the tail, 



