DICRURTTS. 203 



perfectly white, with the exception of three or four blackish-brown 

 spots, another with more of these spots, another with almost as 

 many as the ordinary spotted eggs have, the ground-colour in all 

 these being still pure white, and the spots being blackish or very 

 deep reddish brown. Then I have others similar to those just 

 described, but showing a faint salmon-coloured halo round one or 

 two of the largest spots, others in which the halo is further deve- 

 loped, and others again with the entire ground-colour an excessively 

 pale salmon throughout, and so on a complete series gradually 

 increasing in intensity of colour till we get the pure rich salmon- 

 buff which is at the other end of the scale. I am particular in 

 this description, because the eggs of this bird have been a subject 

 of almost as many contradictions between Indian naturalists as the 

 chameleon of pious memory. Tn shape the eggs are typically a 

 rather long oval, somewhat pointed towards one end. Very much 

 elongated varieties are common, recalling in this respect the eggs 

 of Chibia hottentotta. Spherical varieties, if they occur, must be 

 very rare, the enormous series I possess containing no example. 

 In the colour of the ground, as above remarked, there is every 

 possible variety of shade between pure white and a very rich 

 salmon-colour. In the intensity and number of the markings 

 there is an equally great variety. The markings, always spots and 

 specks, the largest never exceeding O'l inch in diameter, are in- 

 variably most numerous towards the large end, where they are 

 sometimes, though rarely, slightly confluent. They vary from only 

 two or three to a number too large to count, and in colour through 

 many shades of reddish, blackish, and purplish brown, the latter 

 being rare and abnormal. 



The eggs are entirely devoid of gloss, as a rule, though, here and 

 there a slight trace of it is observable. It is this want of gloss 

 alone that distinguishes some of the larger white, black-spotted 

 varieties from the eggs of the common Oriole, which they occasion- 

 ally exactly resemble not only in shape, colour, and character of 

 marking, but even (though generally smaller) in size. 



In length they vary from O87 to 1-15 inch, and in breadth from 

 0-7 to 0-85, but the average of 152 eggs measured is 1-01 by 

 O'To inch. I have two dwarf eggs of this species not included in 

 the above average which I myself obtained in different nests, 

 measuriug only 0*78 by 0'5 inch, and 0'87 by - 62 inch. 



328. Dicrurus longicaudatus, A. Hay. The Indian Ashy 

 Di'onyo. 



Dicrurus longicaudatus, A. Hay, Jerd. B. Ind. i, p. 430. 



Buchanga longicaudata (A. Hay), Hume, Rough Draft N. fy E. no. 280. 



The Indian Ashy Drongo, a species that, with the really large 

 series before me from all parts of India, I find it impossible to sub- 

 divide into two or more species, breeds alike in the plains, in well- 

 watered aud wooded districts, and in the Himalayas up to an 



