LL 
170 DICRURUS FORFICATUS 
in many a different note—that is what may be called a 
‘drive’ of birds. Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of them 
have congregated for feeding purposes, and are now passing 
through the forest, clearing the insects from trees and shrubs. 
Conspicuous among them for size and noise is the Dicrurus 
forficatus, Tylas edwardi and Campephaga cana,” &c. 
On Johanna Island, according to Dr. Dickenson, the 
Crested Drongos were “common in the more open spaces 
of the forest above Pomone.” 
Capt. Bewsher, who visited this island in 1896, wrote: 
“A very sharp, clever bird, the only bird whose habits I was 
able to study, having had five or six brought to me alive ; 
but I only managed to keep them for a few days. They were 
very pugnacious, attacking crows and hawks, and even beating 
them off. They sing very sweetly and softly, and seem to 
be able to imitate other birds. They live on grasshoppers. 
On presenting a large grasshopper at the wire of the cage 
it is immediately seized by the beak; the bird then grasps 
it with its foot and settles on the perch. Then at once the 
bird makes a jump in the air, and alights with one of the 
springing legs of the creature free from its grasp; this it 
tears off, and then repeats the same movement, tearing off 
the other leg, then, still holding the wings grasped to the 
body, the bird pulls off the head and swallows it. Afterwards 
it tears off the wings one by one, making a jump round off 
the perch, and freeing one wing from its grasp in each jump 
as it did with the legs before described. The body is then 
well masticated and swallowed whole. They generally ate 
two large locusts at atime. They are not common. Native 
name, ‘ Maremondou.’ ” 
Sir John Kirk sent me eleven specimens from Johanna 
Island, so I think we may presume it to be as abundant on 
that island as in Madagascar. 
