BIRDS. 63 



slightly curved, and their feet and talons are comparatively 

 feeble. Yet their dispositions are lierce and sanguinary^ 

 and their general habits exhibit a bold and contentious 

 nature. The genus, as characterized by Linnaeus, has 

 undergone numerous divisions by later systematists ; but, 

 as most of these belong to Africa, New-Holland, and the 

 intra-tropical regions of the New World, they do not come 

 within the scope of our present publication. India, how- 

 ever, also presents us with several species. 



The fork-tailed shrike {Lanias candcscens, Linn.) is a 

 native of Bengal, where it is called fingah. Its superior 

 colour is glossy black, with reflections of purple and green. 

 The tail-feathers are long, and forked at the tips. The 

 under-plumage is of a dull white, with a few dusky crescents 

 on the thighs. This bird is named by the Indians the king 

 of the crows, on account of its frequently pursuing these 

 birds from place to place with a loud clamour, and pecking 

 them on the back, till they take their departure from its 

 accustomed haunts. The Malabar shrike {L. Malabaricus, 

 Lath.) is another singular species described by M. Sonnerat. 

 Its size is about that of the missel-thrush, and its general 

 colour is deep-black glossed with blue. On the head rises 

 a large tuft, consisting of many plumes of various length. 

 The exterior feather on each side of the tail is greatly ex- 

 tended, and ends in an elongated oval web. This bird is 

 said to occur particularly in the hilly regions of the king- 

 dom of Arracan. Both these species belong to the division 

 called drongos (genus Edolius of Cuvier). The jocose- 

 shrike (L. jocosus, Linn.) resembles a lark in size. Its 

 colours are brown above and dull-white below, with some 

 crimson or rose-coloured plumes beneath the tail. The 

 crown of the head is black, with a finely-fibred crest in the 

 centre. From the corners of the bill on either side runs a 

 black stripe ; and there is a bright crimson spot beneath 

 each eye. This bird is of a very lively disposition, and its 

 manners are extremely amusing. It has been very generally 

 considered as the celebrated hdhid, or Persian nightingale, 

 so often commemorated in the writings of Hafiz and Sadi, 

 and known in Persia under the name of hazariasitaurv, or 

 the " bird of a hundred songs." But it would seem that 

 the term bulbul is applied to different species in different 

 countries of the East ; at least it is only in this way that 



