100 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA, 



Graucalus MACII. 

 The Large Cuckoo Shrike. 



Graucaltis macii (Oates, Vol. I., p 496) ; Graucaltis macii 

 (Legge, p. 360). 



Description. — Male : nostrils, lores, the feathers round the 

 gape, and under the eye black ; ear coverts blackish ; upper 

 plumage, face, and sides of neck slate-gray, sometimes with a 

 bluish tinge ; rump and upper tail coverts paler and with 

 whitish tips ; chin, throat, breast, and upper abdomen rather 

 lighter gray, paling into white on the lower abdomen and 

 vent ; wing-lining and under tail coverts white ; wing coverts 

 blackish-gray with black shafts ; wings black, the quills 

 edged with white, and the outer webs of the inner feathers 

 largely gray ; central tail feathers ashy-gray, darker at the 

 end and with pale tips, remainder black with grayish-white 

 tips, the feathers towards the centre with gray bases. Most 

 birds retain traces of darker cross-bars on the under surface. 

 In females the nostrils, lores, and ear coverts are brownish 

 and the general tone of the plumage lightei. 



In immature birds the lower parts are more or less heavily 

 barred ; in very young birds the upper plumage is tipped and 

 margined with pale fulvous, and the lower parts are nearly 



pure white. 



Bill, legs, and feet black ; iris reddish-brown. 



Length about 10"2.5 ; wing 5- 9; tail 4*4; tarsus 1*05 ; 



bill from gape 1 • 35. 



Distribution. — ^Not very abundant, but fairly widely 



distributed in the drier forest tracts of the low-country. 



It also occurs in Uva and at other medium elevations, where 



the rainfall is not too heavy. It ranges over practically the 



whole of the Indian Empire. 



Habits. — Rather a vshy forest bird, generally found in tall 



trees, especially in the neighbourhood of rivers and tanks. 



Single specimens are to be met with, but immature birds 



generally associate in small troops. The cry is a harsh 



" kur-eech." The food consists of caterpillars, beetles, &c. 



It breeds apparently in July and August, chiefly in palu trees. 



The nest, which is small for the size of the bird, is a shallow 



cup of small twigs, lined inside with grass and leaves, and 



