724 The Sparrow-like Birds 



with a more direct flight. They are very fond of palm trees, and frequently 

 select these trees for the purpose of breeding, the nest being placed at the 

 junction of a leaf with the trunk. The nest is made of grass and twigs and is 

 of rather slight make." 



THE VANGA-SHRIKES 



(Family Vangidce) 



This small and relatively unimportant family, embracing but a dozen forms, 

 is entirely confined to Madagascar, and has but recently been separated from 

 the Wood Shrikes (Prionopida), which they somewhat resemble. 



They are medium-sized birds, with a rather lax, soft plumage, a strong, rather 

 broad bill which is both toothed and notched, while the nostrils are practically 

 uncovered. In the typical species known as the Vanga or Hook-billed Shrike 

 (Vanga curviroslris} the bill is particularly strong and broad at the base, with 

 the tip strongly hooked. This species, which is between nine and ten inches 

 long, has the back, shoulders, and larger coverts entirely black, the wings black- 

 edged and barred with white, the basal two thirds of the tail gray and the ter- 

 minal portion black with white tips; the head is black, separated by a distinct 

 white collar, and the under parts pure white. According to Grandidier this is 

 a solitary bird, frequenting open woods and forests, perching by preference on 

 the branches of a tree where it may remain motionless for hours, watching for 

 its prey, which consists of insects, occasionally giving voice to a piercing whistle. 

 Their nests are placed but a few feet above the ground and their white eggs are 

 spotted with brown. Similar to this species in habits are the members of the 

 genus Xenopirostris, in which the bill is peculiar in that the mandible is bent 

 upward so as to leave a space between it and the maxilla. The handsomest 

 members of the group belong to the genus Artamia, in which the upper parts are 

 a glossy cobalt-blue or greenish black, and the under parts pure white. The 

 commonest species is perhaps A. bicolor, which inhabits the forests of the high 

 mountains, frequenting in small parties the summits of lofty trees, where it flies 

 energetically about in search of its food; its eggs are green spotted with brown. 



THE SHRIKES 



(Family Laniidce) 



If the discussion of this group could be confined to the New World repre- 

 sentatives, it would be a very easy undertaking, for only two species of a single 

 genus find asylum there, and these almost wholly to the north of the Mexican line; 

 but when we invade the Old World stronghold of the group, we are confronted 

 by such a bewildering maze of more or less interrelated forms that the task be- 

 comes well-nigh hopeless, at least in the light of our present knowledge regarding 



