309 



The Drongos are handsome and, for the most part, familiar 

 birds. They feed habitually on the wing, darting from some perch 

 on a tree into the air to catch an insect and returning to the same 

 or an adjoining branch. The Dicruri frequently perch on the 

 backs of cattle. They all have cheerful notes, and Dissemurus 

 paradiseus has a really fine song, and is perhaps the best singing- 

 bird of the East. 



Many of the Drongos, without being exactly migratory, are in 

 many parts of the country subject to seasonal movements of greater 

 or less extent ; but the materials for tracing these movements are 

 imperfect, no ornithologist having observed them in the careful 

 manner in which similar movements of birds in Europe are re- 

 corded. In Pegu, for instance, Dicrurus ater arrives in great 

 numbers in October and remains numerous till January, when the 

 majority of the birds disappear. Dicrurus annectens similarly 

 arrives in October, but only stops a few days, disappearing en- 

 tirely and going on to unknown parts. 



In all the Dicrurida3 the wing is tolerably pointed and the tarsus 

 very short. 



The Drongos make cup-shaped nests in trees, and lay three to 

 five eggs, which are whitish marked with various shades of red. 



Key to the Genera. 



a. Outer tail-feathers not greatly lengthened ; 



not exceeding the middle ones by so 

 much as the length of the wing. 

 '. Forehead not tufted. 



a". Bill deep ; depth at nostrils fully 



equal to width at that place DICRURUS, p. 310. 



b". Bill depressed ; depth at nostrils 



much less than width at that place. CHAPTIA, p. 318. 

 b 1 . Forehead tufted. 

 c". Tuft composed of a few hairs several 



inches long CHIBIA, p. 320. 



d". Tuft composed of a few hair-like 



feathers half an inch long DISSEMUROIDES, p. 321. 



e". Tuft composed of ordinary feathers 



half an inch long DISSEMURULUS, p. 322. 



b. Outer tail-feathers greatly lengthened ; ex- 



ceeding the middle ones by twice or three 

 times the length of wing. 

 c'. Terminal portion of outer tail-feather 

 flat and equally webbed on both 



sides " BHRIXGA, p. 323. 



d '. Terminal portion of outer tail-feather 

 curled, greatly webbed on the outside 

 and hardly at all on the inside DISSEMURUS, p. 325. 



