166 DICRURUS 
6. Sides and back of tarsus covered with scales . . . . Prionopide. 
ct, Hyelids and feathers of head normal; bill es than 
broad at the nostrils, and blackish . . . . WNilaine. 
1, Eyelids wattled ; either the head crested, or tie bill 
and feetiorangeed 5) 3s). eee ee Onopenc: 
Family I. DICRURIDAi. 
Genus I. DICRURUS. 
The Drongos have the bill black, wide at the gape, somewhat flattened, 
with a rather strong hook and a notch on the upper mandible near the end ; 
rictal-bristles strong ; nostrils covered with bristly plumes. Wing pointed ; 
1st primary not less than half the 2nd. Tail of only ten feathers, often 
strongly forked, with the exterior feathers curved outwards towards their 
ends, sometimes nearly square. Tarsi and feet black, the former rather 
short. Plumage glossy black, rarely greyish ; iris red in adult. 
The eggs are generally three in a clutch, of a rosy white ground colour, 
with brown spots. The nests and voice somewhat resemble those of the 
Orioles, but the Drongos have apparently a great power of imitating the 
songs of other birds. 
Type. 
Dicrurus, Vieill. Analyse, pp. 41, 70 ew Bal INt 
Dict. ix. p. 586 (1817) ; . . D. balicassius. 
Drongus, Rafin. Analyse, p. 67 (1815) nom. fal aye ? 
Edolius, Cuv. Regn. An. i, p.350(1817) . . . . . D.z forficatus. 
Bhuchanga, Hodgs. Ind. Rey. i. p. 326 (1837) . . . D.macrocercus. 
Musicus, Reichenb. Av. Syst. pl. 88, fig. 9 (1850) eee Naren. 
Balicassius, Bp. C. R. xxxviii. p. 589 (1854) . . . . Dz balicassius. 
The family ranges from the western side of Africa to the 
Philippine Islands and Australia, and comprises about forty 
species, of which five are confined to the African continent 
and four to the Madagascar subregion. 
KEY TO THE SPECIES. 
a. Tail more forked ; depth of fork 1:25 to 2:5 inches. 
a!. Frontal feathers elongated and longer than the culmen . forjficatus. 
b1, oe feathers not elongated. 
- Quills and tail black; wing 5:6; tail, centre feathers 
5 0, outer ones 7:5; Gage TOL. at Ie eee el ARO ers 
