202 ADDITIONS TO THE AVIFAUNA OF CEYLON, 



has a wider range in Ceylon than has been supposed. It is con- 

 fined to no particular part of the low country, but is to 

 be met with in all open forest districts. It is tolerably common 

 along the river Giudurah near Galle, and in jungles on the bor- 

 ders of tanks in the south coast, in similar localities in the 

 district of Trincomalie, and in the forest country of the inte- 

 rior of the western province. 



180 bis.— Brachypternus ceylonus, Forster. (74.) 



This species has a very wide range in Ceylon. I have found 

 it in all districts that I have visited, with the exception of Jaffna. 

 Mr. Holdsworth does not record it from Aripo, and therefore it 

 may be absent from the north-western portion of the island. It 

 is, however, to be found in the forest country between Trinco- 

 malie and the northern road, and I suspect extends across to 

 the western side as far as the confines of the low scrubs near 

 the coast in which Mr. Holdsworth chiefly collected, and where, 

 from my experience of it in the south-east, I know it would not 

 be found. In this latter district it is abundant up the country 

 where there is forest, but it does not affect the scrubby jungles 

 along the coast line. 



280— Buchanga longicaudata, A. Bay. (111.) 



This is entirely a forest bird, as Mr. Holdsworth in his cata- 

 logue affirms it, on Lord Walden's authority, to be ; it frequents 

 the tops of high trees, and is fond of selecting a dead branch as 

 its perch, from which it darts out on its prey. It is common 

 in the Trincomalie jungles, where I have generally found it in 

 the vicinity of tanks and retired valleys. I have also observed 

 it in the wilds of the south-eastern districts. According to 

 Jerdon, it would appear to attain a larger size on the Continent 

 than here. My largest male measured 11*4 inches, with a tail 

 of 6 and a wing of 5£ ; while females average about 10*8 in 

 length, with a wing of 5*2. Immature birds have the terminal 

 white spot to the under wing-coverts and the white bars on the 

 under tail-coverts common to most of the genus. The iris in 

 this Drongo-shrike is redder than in any of the others. 



B. minor is the common species at Jaffna, where it may 

 be seen perched on the backs of cattle even inside the Fort. 

 The immature bird has brown wings and much white edging 

 about the abdomen and lower parts, besides the under tail- 

 covert bars. 



281.— Buchanga ccerulescens, Linn. (112.) 



According to my observations of Ceylon examples, the upper 

 surface of this species exhibits a marked distinction in the 



