The Drongo Family. 25 



but its beak is scarcely corvine, nor are its legs and 

 feet; so that they must have assigned the Drongo its 

 position in the family Corvidds solely on account of its 

 raven-like plumage. The authorities at the "Zoo" have 

 placed this bird between the Orioles and the Wood- 

 swallows, to neither of which it bears much resem- 

 blance outwardly, though by the agile manner in which 

 it captures its insect quarry on the wing, it rivals 

 the latter in dexterity, equalling them in wing-power 

 and quick sight. 



THE HOTTENTOT DRONGO, Chibia hottentotta, is a 

 very peculiar and most charming bird, constituting 

 the genus Chibia of the family to which it belongs. 

 It is a native of India, but why it should have 

 received the specific name of hottentotta is one 

 of those mysteries of avian nomenclature which are 

 absolutely insoluble and incomprehensible. 



The Hottentot Drofigo certainly does not appear to 

 think anything about its detestable name, but flies 

 around, sings its melodious song, mimics all its 

 neighbours, and passes its spare time catching flies, 

 with the most supreme composure. 



The song of this remarkable bird is not the least 

 of its merits it has some mellow and pleasing notes 

 of its own but it is the delightful and capable 

 manner in which it imitates and appropriates to itself 

 not only the songs of the other birds that are within 

 hearing, but all kinds of domestic sounds, which it 

 reproduces with no less fidelity to nature than 

 added charm, that constitutes its merit as a songster 

 rivalling, if not indeed surpassing, the famous Mocking- 

 bird of the New World in this respect. 



