170 



Gen. Graucalus* Cuv. 



Bill of moderate length, strong and wide at base, the culnien ciirved, hooked 

 and slightly notched;' rictal bristles not mtlch developed; wings long and 

 pointed; tail moderate, slightly rounded. 



182. GraucaluS Macii, Less. Traite p. 349 ; Jerd. B. Ind. i. p. 417, 

 No* 2705 Watdi ftis, 1872, p. 311 ; Blanf. J. A. S B. xli. pt. iL p. 156; 

 Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. l! ; id. Str. F. ii p. 264; Bait, Str. F. il. 

 p. 400; Bl. B. Burnt, p. 123; Anderson, Yunnan Exped. p. 647; Legge, B. 

 Ceylon, p. 360; Shafpe, Cat. B. Br. Mm. iv. p. 34 ; Hume, Sir. F. viii. p. 91 ; 

 Scully, Sir. F. viii. p. 267. Graucalus layardi, Bl. Ibis, 1866, p. 35; Jerd. 

 Ibis, 1872, p 117; Legge, Ibis, 1875, p, 287 ; Murrayt Vert. Zool, Sin^ 

 p. 124. The INDIAN CUCKOO-SHRIKE* 



Head, neck, backj rump, upper tail coverts and scapulafs ffench-grey; 

 primaries and their coverts black, externally edged With whitish ; secondaries 

 french-grey on the outer webs,- and margined and tipped whitish ; the innef 

 webs dusky ; tail with the two centre feathers grey, tipped with white * the? 

 rest black, broadly tippled with white. A narrow frontal lifle, lores, below the 

 eye, and at the gape black. Sides of face, and efaf coverts darkish grey 

 beneath ; the neck 2nd breast ffench-grey ; ripper abdomen lighter, with 

 numerolis dull white transverse line's ; lowef abdomen; vetit and under tail 

 coverts white ; under wing coverts and Sxillaries white, with a few cross lines 

 of grey at the edge .of the wings ; bill blackish ; irides rich lake ; legs 

 plumbeous* 



The female is paler in colour tnfotighout and has not the black on the face \ 

 generally there are present nearly obsolete barrings on the under surface. 

 The young have the upper plumage tipped and margined with pale ferruginousy 

 and the under surface nearly piife white. 



Length. i r8 to *2 inches ; wings 6*5 to 7 ; tail 5 to 6; tarsus J to 1'$ j 

 bill at front i. 



Hah. The Indian Cuckoo-Shrike is fOur*d over all tftdia, from the' 

 Himalayas to the extreme South. It is abundant in Southern India and 

 Ceylon, spread ovf the whole of Brkisn Burman, tecorded from Nepaul, 

 Pegu, Assam, and Port Blair ; also the N.-WV Provinces, Punjab, OucTh, Bengal 

 Rajpootana, Kutch, Kathiawar, Jodhpoor, North (yuzerat and Tfavancore. 

 Blyth records it from Arrakan, Mr. Davison from Tenriaserim, 2tnd according 

 to Dr. Tiraud it is found in Cochin- China. It affects thin forest, jungles, 

 gardens, orchards, avenues and thick growths of high bushes. Feeds chiefly 

 on insects as caterpillars, mantides, locusts, and grasshoppers, and probably 

 also small fruit. Jerdon says it is rather a shy bird, flying before you from 

 tree to tree uttering as it alights two or three rather sweet and mellow notes, 

 but it has also a very harsh rattling scream. It flies in an easy undulating 

 manner, with but few flappings of its wings. Its flesh is said to be eaten by 



