610 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. X. 



Bengraj. 



Vol VIII, p. 167 i Scully, " S. F.," Vol. VIII, p. 272 ; Bing., " S. F.," 



Vol. IX, p. 174 ; Dav., " S. F.," Vol. X, p. 367; Hume, " S. F.," Vol. 



XI, p. 102. 



38 This is the rarest Drona;o we have here. Its habits are similar to 



Beng. _ °_ _ 



bbool wallah D. paradiseus. Generally it is to be seen in pairs, and has a partiality 

 for Simul (Bombax sp.) trees when in flower. This species may easily 

 be recognized from the rest of the Dicruridce by the hairs that spring 

 from the back of the head, and by the tips of the tail feathers being 

 slightly curved upwards. It is a very shy bird, by far the shyest of 

 the Drongos. 



Genus Bhringa (Hodgs., 1837). 



No. 339. Bhringa eemifer (Temm.) — The Lesser Racket-tailed 



Drongo. 



Hume, " N. and E.,'' 2nd Ed., Vol. I, p. 216 ; Hume and Dav., 

 " S. F.," Vol. VI, p. 218 ; Gates, " S. F.," Vol. X, p. 202 ; Hume, 

 " S. F.," Vol. XI, p. 100. 



This bird is not common here. It keeps to the dense jungle. It 

 generally goes about with a train of followers consisting of M. rubrica- 

 pillus^ T. affinis, H. azurea^ &c. It differs from D. paradiseus in not 

 having the large crest of the latter, and in having the base of the lateral 

 tail feathers webbed on both sides and not only on the outer one as in 

 D. paradiseus. 



Genus Dissemurus (Gloger, 1842). 



No. 340. DiBSEMURUS PARADisEUS (Linn.) —The Larger Racket- 

 tailed Drongo. 



Hume, " N. and E., " 2nd Ed., Vol. I, p. 217 ; Hume and Dav., 

 "■ S. F., " Vol. VI, p. 210 ; Gates, " S. F„ " Vol. X, p. 203. 



This species frequents wooded or bamboo jungle, but in the early 

 morning and in the evening it may be seen hawking insects in the 

 open at the edge of the jungle. When it catches a large insect, such 

 as a locust, it takes it in its claws and tears it to pieces. It has a lovely 

 song and great imitative powers, is easily tamed, and need not be kept 

 confined. 



It breeds in April, building a nest of small twigs near the top of 

 any high tree. I have found nearly fully-fledged ones in the begin- 

 ning of May. 



39 



Beng. 

 Chengraj. 



40 

 BenG. 

 Bengraj. 



