6o8 The Sparrow-like Birds 



(E. ochromelas), is much smaller, being only six and a half inches long. In the 

 Dusky Broad-bill (Corydon sumatranus] the plumage is mainly black through- 

 out, the exception being a white wing-bar, a subterminal spot of white on all 

 but the middle pair of tail-feathers, and a concealed patch of crimson in the 

 interscapular region; its length is ten and a half inches. This species is de- 

 scribed as being somewhat crepuscular, remaining quiet during the day and 

 becoming more active at dusk. 



Of the next four genera in which the bill is of much the same shape as in 

 the last except that the upper mandible is not overhanging, we may mention 

 the Long-tailed Broad-bill (Psarisomus dalhousicE.}, which is distinguished by 

 the very long, greatly graduated tail. The general color is bright green, with 

 a patch of blue on the crown, and bright yellow on the chin, frontal space, 

 lores, and behind the eye; it is ten and a half inches in length. The habits of 

 this beautiful bird are similar to those of the other members of the family. The 

 genus Serilophus, three species of which are now recognized, is similar to the 

 last except that the tail is shorter than the wing and is much rounded, while 

 the head is supplied with soft silky plumes. The best-known species, which 

 has been selected for illustration, is the Frilled Broad-bill, or Frilled Tody 

 (S. lunatus], as it is called by the Indian ornithologists, a native of Burma 

 and Tenasserim. It is not so brilliant as many of the others, being pale brownish 

 gray above, with the rump brownish chestnut, the wings black, crossed by a 

 bluish and a white band, and the under parts white or nearly so. It is a retir- 

 ing species, inhabiting the desert jungles and feeding largely on fruit. The 

 final genus of three species (Calyptomena) is known at once by the smaller bill 

 and dense tuft of forward-pointing loral plumes, which not only conceal the 

 nostrils at the base of the bill, but the greater part of the upper mandible as 

 well. The harsh plumage is a bright green nearly throughout. The Green 

 Broad-bill (C. viridis] of India, whence it ranges over the Malay Peninsula, 

 Sumatra, and Borneo, frequents the tops of the trees in pairs or small parties 

 and feeds entirely on fruits, which it seeks only in the morning and evening. 

 The other two species are found in the mountains of northwestern Borneo, 

 Whitehead's Broad-bill (C. whiteheadi), for instance, being a very striking bird, 

 the general color being a bright shining green, relieved on the front of the neck 

 and behind the ears by blotches of black, while the back and breast are black, 

 each feather with a lanceolate green tip; the tail is velvety black and the sec- 

 ondaries slightly edged with blue. 



THE FREE-TOED PERCHING BIRDS 



(Suborder Eleutherodactyli, Superfamily Clamatores) 



The essential characters of this suborder have been set forth under the general 

 discussion of the Passeriformes (p. 604). The suborder embraces three super- 

 families, the first of which is the Clamatores, which includes the families Pittida 



