736 The Sparrow-like Birds 



usually placed in low trees, are shallow, cup-like structures of fine grass and 

 roots, covered outside with cobwebs, bits of leaves, and lichens ; the eggs, two or 

 three in number, are pale greenish white marked with brown. Southeastern 

 Asia and the adjacent islands is the home of another small genus of arboreal 

 Shrikes (Tephrodornis), which differ from the last in having a square instead of 

 a graduated tail. They are mainly gray in coloration, and Mr. Gates states 

 that the Indian species are more or less gregarious, occurring in small bands of 

 from four to six individuals, more rarely in pairs. They never descend to the 

 ground nor do they catch insects on the wing, but search industriously for them 

 on the leaves and branches of trees, hence they are only found in forests or well- 

 wooded districts. Of the three Indian species the common Wood Shrike (T. 

 pondicerianus) is best known, being ashy brown above and ashy below with a 

 broad white stripe over the eye, the rump tipped with white as are the two outer 

 pairs of tail-feathers, and the lores and cheeks dark brown ; the length is about six 

 and a half inches. This species constructs on the branch of a tree a very beautiful 

 nest of vegetable fibers and roots, coating it thickly with cobwebs and bits of 

 bark, and deposits therein usually three eggs, which are white marked with 

 purple and brown. 



Jay-Shrikes. Whereas in the preceding genera the head is not crested, in 

 a small but striking genus, the members of which are appropriately known as 

 Jay-Shrikes (Platylophus), the head is provided with a remarkable erect crest 

 of long, broad feathers, which is longer than the head itself. The Jay-Sririkes 

 are about eleven inches in length and are further marked by possessing a very 

 short and curved, notched bill, very rounded wings, and a large, well-graduated 

 tail; the four species range from the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra and Borneo. 

 The Indian Jay-Shrike (P. ardesiacus) has the whole head dark brown, the 

 remaining upper parts olive-brown, and the lower parts dark slaty brown or 

 dark olive-brown, while the sides of the neck bear a large spot^. of white. This 

 is a very restless, active bird, frequenting the dense evergreen forests, where it 

 is usually observed in pairs; its note, according to Mr. Gates, is a sharp, metallic 

 rattle. 



Shrike-Thrushes. Although Africa is the home of a considerable number 

 of Wood Shrikes, the metropolis of the group appears to be Australia, New 

 Guinea, and the adjacent islands, where almost every island supports a form; 

 but as they do not possess any particular interest, we may pass them over with 

 the exception of a small Australian genus, the members of which are those known 

 as Shrike-Thrushes (Colluricinda). They are rather plain-colored birds, between 

 nine and ten inches long, the principal colors being gray or brownish on the upper 

 surface and grayish white or fawn-color beneath. The best-known species is 

 perhaps the Gray or Harmonious Shrike-Thrush (C. harmonica}, which is dis- 

 tributed quite generally throughout Australia and is regarded as one of the best 

 songsters of that country, indeed often compared with the Nightingale. It is 

 a very active bird, living much among the branches of trees and feeding upon 

 insects of various kinds, caterpillars and their pupae, and while engaged in search 

 for its food pours forth its song, which consists of a number of powerful swelling 



