35 



21. Crypsirhina varians. The Blade Racket-tailed Maypie. 



COITUS varians, Lai It, Ltd. Oni. Suppl.-p. xxvi (1801). 



Crypsirhina varians (Lath.), Myth, Cat. p. 92; Ilorsf. <$ M. Cat. ii, 



p. 504 ; Wald. P. Z. S. 1800, p. 552 ; Hume, S. F. iii, p. 146 ; 



SJmrpe, Cat. X. M. iii, p. 83 ; Wardlaw Itamxay, Ibis, 1877, p. 459 ; 



Qttttx, *V. F. v, p. 109; Hume Sf Dav. S. F. vi, p. 380; Hume, 



Cat. no. 078 quat. ; Oates, B. Ii. i, p. 404 ; ?W. in Humes N. Sf E. 



2nd ed. \, p. 25. 



Fig. 13. Head of C. varians. 



Coloration. The whole plumage metallic bronze-green, tinged 

 with bluish on the head ; wings brown, the outer webs of the 

 primaries greenish, the other quills more or less entirely suffused 

 with green ; tail black, more or less overspread with a metallic- 

 green lustre ; forehead, round the eye and about the gape dull 

 black, the feathers of a velvety texture. 



Iris blue ; mouth flesh-colour ; bill, legs, and claws black. 



Length 13 ; tail 8 ; wing 4-6 ; tarsus 1*1; bill from gape 1. 



Distribution. This fine little Magpie has its headquarters in 

 Lower Pegu, whence it extends sparingly up the valleys of the 

 Irrawaddy and of the Sittouug to Thayetmyo and Toungngoo. To 

 the west it extends to Bassein. To the south it occurs throughout 

 Tenasserim as far as Mergui. 



It is found in Siam, Cochin China, Sumatra, Borneo and Java. 



Habits, 6fc. This bird is found in all parts of the country except 

 heavy forest. It breeds in June or July, constructing a neat cup- 

 shaped nest, of fine twigs lined with tendrils of creepers, in thorny 

 bushes and branches of bamboo, at no great height from the ground. 

 The eggs are usually three in number, greyish white covered with 

 spots and dashes of ash and yellowish brown ; they measure '98 

 by '72. 



22. Crypsirhina cucullata. The Hooded Racket-tailed Magpie. 



Crypsirhina cucullata, Jerdon, Ibis, ] 862, p. 20 ; Hume, S. F. iii, 

 p. 147 ; Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 88 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. iii, p. 84 j 

 Wardlaw Ramsaij, Ibis, 1877, p. 459 ; Hume, Cat. no. 678 ter. ; 

 Oates, B. B. i, p. 405. 



Coloration. The whole head, chin, and throat black ; round the 

 neck, next to the black, a collar of ashy white ; the whole upper 

 plumage, wing-coverts, and tertiaries vinaceous grey ; lower plumage 



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