BB0ADBILL3 
(E urylismijo rmes) 
The broadbillbj so called from the peculiar shape of tbcir 
short and pomted, but extremely broad flat bills, have by some 
naturalists been regarded as a division of tliat great assemblage 
of birds grouped together into otic great order, the Pas si- 
formes, and in truth the broadbill& sliarc many important 
anatomical characters with the perching- birds. They are 
however more usually kept by themselves in an Order apart 
and a reasonable view of their systematic position seems to 
place them between the picariati and perching birds. 
They were at one time regarded as being absolutely 
characteristic of south-eastern Asia and Malaysia but it has 
recently been suggested that a somewhat aberrant African bird 
should rightly be regarded as a member of the Eh ry!(rini formes. 
Most of the species are brightly coloured and all are squat, 
fat little birds, fond of the jungle and subsisting, it would 
appear, chiefly on insects. The large globular nest of grass, 
etc., contains eggs which are either white or buffy in colour, 
sometimes spotted at the larger end. In the Malay Peninsula 
no less than seven species are found and of these all have been 
recorded from Singapore except two handsome genera, Psari- 
somus and Serihphns which are only found on mouRtains. 
Most of the local records were made years ago and with 
the exceptions noted below broadbills are rarely, if ever, found 
on the island now-a-days. 
[i6i] 
