46 



Mr. E. Blyth on the Oniitholocjij of the neiyhbourhood of 



1 . E. grandis, Gould ; malabaricus, Shaw and Stephens, and as 

 figured by Latham, doubtless from Lady Impey's drawing described 

 by him ; malabaroides, Hodgson ; and perhaps, rather than the next, 

 the Cuculus paradiseus, Linn. Nepal, Tenasserim. 



2. E. paradiseus ? (Linn.) ; retifer. Tern. ; ^/ff^MrMS,Vieillot ; ma- 

 labaricus, Gould ; cristatellus, nobis ; Assamese grandis, apud Hors- 

 field, as identified from Dr. M'Clelland's drawing of the specimen. 

 Bengal, Southern India, Tenasserim. From Nepal I have only seen 

 the preceding species*. 



3. E. rangoonensis, apud nos. Tenasserim. 



4. E. rangoonensis, Gould ; perhaps the Malabar Shrike or Drongo 

 of Sonnerat and BufFon, but a crestless species remains to be verified 

 as inhabiting Southern India. Rangoon, Singapore. 



Of Bhringa (subsequently Melisseus), Hodgson, I know only — 



Bhr. remifer (Tem.) ; tectirostris, Hodgson ; Assamese rangoo- 

 nensis (?), apud Horsfield. Himalaya, Assam. 



Next to this might be placed the Chaptia (since Prepopterus) , 

 Hodgson, founded on — 



Ch. (Eueus (Vieillot) ; aeratus, Stephens ; muscipet aides, Hodgson ; 

 Butchnnga of the Bengalees, a name which Mr. Hodgson assigns to 

 the Bengal Fingah ; Bronzed Shrike of Latham. India generally. 



There now remain the restricted Dicruri, of which I am well ac- 

 quainted with four Indian species. 



1. D. balicassius (Linn.); Javanese fotficatus (?), apud Horsfield ; 

 annectens, Hodgson. Bill more crow-like than in the others, and tail 

 much less deeply forked. Malay countries, Nepal. 



2. D. indicus, Stephens; albirictus, Hodgson, figured by him in 

 As. Res. x\'iii. pi. 2 ; Fingah of the Bengalees ; Indian balicassius, 

 auctorum : the beak of this species is much more shrike-like than in 

 the others. India generally, being everywhere the most common 

 species f- 



3. D. macrocercus, Vieillot; biloba, Licht. (if these names should 

 not be rather referred to the preceding species, both having the 

 tail equally forked in fiine specimens ; perhaps also cineraceus, Hors- 

 field, of Java, and leucophceus, Vieillot, of Ceylon, founded on the 

 Drongri of Levaillant, as very ashy specimens are not unfrequent) ; 

 Neel Fingah of the Bengalees. About the same size as the preceding, 



* Tlie Cuculus paradiseus of Linna2us is founded on a description by 

 Brisson of a bird from Siam with a short crest, measuring, according to 

 Brisson's figure, one inch from its extremity to the base of the beak. There 

 is therefore no doubt that this is the cristatellus of Mr. Blyth. I should 

 rather doubt the distinctness of the rangoonensis of Mr. Gould from tliat of 

 Mr. Blyth : they may perhaps be different ages of the same bird. — H. E. S. 



t Mr. Blyth's second species is certainly the Drongolou of Levaillant, 

 the basis of macrocercus, Vieillot, hilobus, liicht., and indicus, Steph., and 

 Vieillot's specific name must be used for it. Mr. Blyth's third species is not 

 cineraceus of Dr. Horsfield (as that bird is uniform pale cinereous), and it 

 is probably not the lencophceus ,Y\e\\\. {ceylonensis, Stej)h., cinereus, Swains.), 

 as that is described as wholly silvery gray, and is therefore probably the 

 same as cineraceus, Horsf. Should this be so, Mr. Blyth's third species will 

 require a new specific name. — H. E. S. 



