714 The Sparrow-like Birds 



nearly concealed by the nasal feathers, the rictal bristles but feebly developed, 

 and the wings long and pointed, while the moderately long tail may be either 

 square, forked, or graduated. The plumage is ordinarily soft and Shrike-like, 

 the usual coloration being bluish gray or black and. white, though in some forms 

 it becomes exceedingly brilliant with scarlet, crimson, orange, or yellow mark- 

 ings; the sexes are usually quite different in plumage. 



Cuckoo-Shrikes. Passing over the genus Artamides, which is a very large 

 one of thirty-five or more forms ranging from the Andamans to the New Heb- 

 rides and New Caledonia, and is characterized by a very large, stout bill and 

 generally slate-colored, often barred, plumage, we may select for mention a 

 few forms of the equally large genus Graucalus, which spreads from Africa to 

 India and Australia. They are birds of moderate size, mostly ranging between 

 eight and twelve inches in length, of plain appearance, the general coloration 

 being gray or bluish gray with black and white areas, and often barred below. 

 They are arboreal in their habits, mostly frequenting well-wooded localities 

 where they procure their food of insects among the leaves and branches. Of 

 the nine Ethiopian forms, the Gray Cuckoo-Shrike (G. ccesius} is confined to 

 South Africa, going about in small flocks and frequenting mostly the tops of 

 the lofty trees, where it searches industriously for its food, while the Ash-colored 

 Cuckoo-Shrike (G. cinereus) is found only in Madagascar. The Indian Cuckoo- 

 Shrike (G. macei) is a large and extremely variable species, the upper parts 

 being gray, paler on the rump, and the lower parts grayish white with the lores 

 and feathers about the gape black. It is more or less common throughout 

 almost the whole of India and Ceylon, nesting from May to October, and con- 

 structing a shallow nest of slender twigs, placed high in a leafy tree; the eggs, 

 normally three, are pale green spotted with brown and purple. Of the several 

 species found in Australia, the best-known is the Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike 

 (G. melanops), which is not only general throughout that country but extends 

 to New Zealand and many of the larger islands to the northward of Australia. 

 It is of large size, reaching a length of twelve and a half inches, and, as its ver- 

 nacular name implies, has the forehead, face, and throat black. It is an abundant 

 species in many parts of its range, frequenting low hills, flats, and thinly forested 

 plains, especially the plains of the interior. "Its flight," says Mr. Gould, "is 

 undulating and powerful, but is seldom exerted for any other purpose than that 

 of conveying it from one part of the forest to another, or to sally forth in pur- 

 suit of an insect which may pass within range of its vision while perched on 

 some dead branch of a high tree. On such an elevated perch it sometimes 

 remains for hours together; but during the heat of the day seeks shelter from 

 the rays of the sun by shrouding itself amidst the dense foliage of the trees. Its 

 food consists of insects and their larvae and berries, but the former appear to be 

 preferred, all kinds being acceptable. Its note, which is seldom uttered, is a 

 peculiar single purring or jarring sound, repeated several times in succession." 

 It makes a very slight, shallow nest of short twigs firmly secured together with 

 cobwebs, which forms a little, usually triangular sack on or across the angle of 

 a thin, forked, horizontal branch. The nest is usually ornamented with bits of 



