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} 
176 DICRURUS MODESTUS 
avoiding the fangs. It is said also to bait, but at a more 
respectful distance, lions, leopards, and other wild animals, 
betraying their presence to the natives by its excited cries 
and actions. This species is never found in the forest.” 
Bohm mentions it as the commonest and most generally 
distributed bird throughout his travels from Zanzibar Island 
to Lake Tanganyika, welcoming the rising sun with its 
melodious song and boldly defending its rights against hawks. 
Fischer records as its Zanzibar name ‘‘ Mlamba,” and towards 
Lamu as the “ Kosimamba.” 
Erlanger found it extremely common throughout his 
expedition from Zeila into South Somaliland, and collected 
many eggs which varied in colouring from those of the true 
Shrikes to those of the Oriole. Heuglin records it as equally 
abundant from the Red Sea to Kordofan and ranging 
northward to 20° N. lat. 
Dicrurus modestus. 
Dicrurus modestus, Hartl. Rev. et Mag. Zool. 1849, p. 495 Prince's 
Isl. ; id. Abhandl. Naturw. Hamburg ii. pt. 2, p. 50 pl. iv. (1852) ; 
Sharpe, Cat. B. M. iii. p. 232 (1877 pt.) Princes Isl. ; Tweeddale, 
Ibis, 1878, p. 72; Shelley, B. Afr. i. No. 647 (1896) ; Reichen. Vég. 
Afr. ii. p. 651 (1903). 
Adults. Velvety black, with the forehead, crown, upper tail-coverts, 
wings and tail glossed with metallic bottle green. ‘Iris red; bill and feet 
black.” Total length 10-4 and 9:3 inches, culmen 1:05, wing 5:5 and 5:2, 
tail 5-0 (depth of fork 0:8), tarsus 0:8. Prince’s Island, ¢, ? (Keulemans). 
The Larger Velvet-mantled Drongo is confined to Prince’s 
Island in the Gulf of Guinea. 
This species belongs to the D. afer group, in which the 
tail is strongly forked, and much resembles that Drongo, 
its chief distinguishing character being the deep velvet-like 
black of the back, which part in D. afer has a metallic gloss 
like the head. 
