DRONGO-SHEIKES 175 



DRONGO-SHRIKES 



The family Dicruridce, Genus Dicrurus, contains two species 

 of Prongo Shrikes, called Bijvangers by the Boers. 



They are both black birds, the Fort-tailed Drongo {Dicru- 

 rus afer), as its name indicates, having a pronoimced forked- 

 tail, the plumage differing from the Sq^uare-tailed Drongo 

 (D. ludwigii) in being much more glossy, and pitch-black 

 throughout, whereas the latter bird has the lower surface 

 tinged with greyish. Former, 9| inches long; latter, 

 7 inches. 



The Fork-tailed species is fairly generally distributed 

 throughout South Africa, excepting the neighbourhood of 

 Cape Town and the desert portion of North-Western Cape 

 Colony. It is very common in the " Bush " regions of the 

 East Cape Colony, Natal and Transvaal. We found it 

 extremely so in the Albany kloofs, and along the Hennops 

 Eiver near Irene, in the district of Pretoria. 



It lives in pairs, the male pursuing any intruder of his 

 kind who invades the territory he claims as his own. It 

 has a shriU voice and is an excellent mimic. It has the 

 habit of sitting on some exposed branch, from which it 

 makes short darts into the air after insects, which form its 

 main article of food. Its inordinate fondness for bees has 

 earned for itself the vernacular name of Bijvanger (Bee- 

 catcher). It is also singularly attracted by a grass fire, 

 dashing through the smoke after insects. 



It is extremely bold in defending its nest, and will fly 

 round one's head when robbing the nest, approaching at 

 times near enough for its wings to brush against one. It 

 builds a light, though strong, saucer-shaped nest of rootlets 

 and twigs, usually situated near the extremity of a bough, 

 slung between two twigs. Its eggs, two to four in number. 



