1921] 207 



X. NEW AND KNOWN ORIENTAL BIRDS. 



By C. Boden Kloss, m.b.o.u., c.f.a.o.u. 



ON THE PROPER NAME OF THE BLACK DRONGO WITH 

 DESCRIPTIONS OF TWO NEW SUBSPECIES. 



The name by which the Black Drongo has hitherto been 

 lviio\vii specifically, Dicriirus atra (Miiscicapa atra 

 Hermann, Obs. Zool. 1804, p. 208 : Tranquebaria, S. India) 

 is preoccupied by Muscicapa atra GmeUn (Syst. Nat. ed. 13, 

 1, 1788, p. 946) and Dicrurus macrocerciis Vieillot, must 

 replace it. 



All the following are based on " Le Droiigolon " of 

 Levaillant (Ois. d'Afr., iii, 1802, pi. 174) so all belong to 

 the same bird : but macrocerciis has priority : — 



Dicrurus macrocercus Vieillot, 1817 



Muscicapa biloba Lichtenstein, 1823 " Ind. Orient " 



Dicrurus indiciis Stephens, 1826 " India " 



Dicrurus longus Bonaparte, 1852 " Java " 



Levaillant, however, recorded no locality for " Le 

 Drongolon," nor did Vieillot for macrocercus ; and we have, 

 therefore, to look for a " terra lypica " among the others. 



The " Ind. Orient " of Lichtenstein is too vague to 

 supply the need as it merely means the East Indies of Asia 

 as distinguished from the West Indies of America and there 

 are several races of Black Drongo. 



But Stephens' Dicrurus indicus, " India " is quite 

 definite and must therefore be accepted as the typical 

 locality for " Le Drongolon ' and, therefore, for the first 

 Linncan name, macrocercus, applied to it which, by the 

 subsequent description of the northern Indian form as 

 albirictus by Hodgson in 18»<7, becomes by elimination the 

 name of the Peninsular Indian subspecies. 



Bonaparte's citation of Bengal for macrocercus 

 (Consp. Av, I, 1850, p. 351) confirms this selection and his 

 attribution of Java to longus (t.c.p. 352) and Walden's of 

 the same place to macrocercus (Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, 

 1875, pt. 2, Extra No., p. 129), though he says quite rightly 

 that both these are the same bird, come too late ; while 

 the reference of biloba to Java by Gabanis (Mus. Hein I, 

 1850-1, p. Ill) cannot be accepted. 



Thus ai'e ruled out for further use all names based on 

 " Le Drongolon." 



The races of the Black Drongo, Dicrurus macrocercus, 

 therefore are :— 



1. Dicrurus macrocercus macrocercus Vieill. (syn. biloba, iiulicii.' ami longus^, 



Nouv. Diet. IX, 1817, p. 588 : Peninsular India. 0<i*iSL . /^/^ 



2. Dicrurus m. albirictus (Hodgs.), Ind. Rev. 1837, p. 320 : Nepal 



.'5. Dicrurus m. minor Blyth, Layard. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (2), XIII, 1851, 

 p. 129 : Ceylon. 



4. Dicrurus m. calhoecus Swinh. (syn. siamcnsis Kloss), P.Z..S. 1871, p. 377 : 



Southeast China. 



5. Dicrurus m. harlerti Baker, Nov. Z( ol. XXV, 1918, p. 299 : Formosa. 

 ('). Dicrurus m. thai Kloss : Siam (postea). 



7. Dicrurus m. javanus Kloss : Java (postea). 



