526 PASSERIFORMES chap. 



a greenish gloss ; while barring occurs occasionally in the cocks, 

 and much more commonly in the hens, where the tints are duller, 

 the grey lighter, and the hue in some cases brown or even rufous. 

 The Mascarene Oxijnotus is almost unique among Birds in having 

 the males of the two species alike, the females very different. 

 Shaft-streaks on the feathers are fairly frequent ; two species of 

 Lalage have a chestnut lower surface, and one the rump similar ; 

 while Symmorphus is either brown above and whitish below, or 

 black and white with buff rump and under parts. Campechaera 

 is green and golden-yellow in both sexes, but shews some black, 

 white, and grey as well ; Zohotus is olive-yellow with dark green 

 head and throat, orange-chestnut rump and breast, greenish tail, 

 and an orange lobe at the gape. Pericrocotus is usually black, 

 adorned with lovely scarlet, crimson, orange, or yellow markings, 

 and with a little white, but two species lack the brilliant tints, 

 and others replace the Ijlack Ijy brown or grey ; the females 

 in this genus usually have yellow where the males have red, 

 though they also shew red in two cases. Three African species 

 of Cariipephaga vary from the ordinary grey or blackish colora- 

 tion in being glossy bluish-black, with scarlet, orange, and yellow 

 shoulder-patches respectively, and one in being steel-green, with 

 purple face and neck, and steel-blue lower surface. In these 

 forms the females have yellow markings. Finally, Graucalus 

 azureus is azure and black, with a shade of cobalt. 



The restless and active members of this Family are generally 

 seen in small flocks in wooded country, gardens, orchards, and 

 hedge-rows. They are found up to an altitude of ten thousand 

 feet throughout the Ethiopian, Indian, and Australian Eegions, 

 and even reach Amurland ; Graucalus inhabits all three Eegions, 

 but Oxymtus is peculiar to Mauritius and Eeunion. The flight 

 is easy, undulating, and strong, though of brief duration ; while the 

 birds hop and frisk about the branches, or move briskly from tree 

 to tree, as they examine the crevices of the bark or the leaves, and 

 occasionally pluck the fruit. They may occasionally be noticed 

 darting to the earth to secure caterpillars, of which they are ex- 

 tremely fond, or sallying into the air after insects, like Fly- 

 catchers. Pericrocotus is said to hang to the boughs like a 

 Tit ; Ptcropodocys lives chiefly on the ground. The mellow and 

 lively notes are of a whistling or twittering nature, varied by 

 jarring sounds ; but all the species are rather silent. The nest, 



