DICRURINvE. 
Anais Less.* 
Bill short, depressed, broad at the base, the culmen rounded and curved at the tip, which is slightly 
emarginated ; the gape furnished with long soft bristles ; the nostrils small, basal, lateral, and concealed 
by small and numerous bristles. Wings reaching to the middle of the tail, rather acute, with the first 
three quills graduated, and the fourth and fifth equal and longest. Tail moderate and equal. Tarsi 
moderate. Toes with the inner toe short, and united to the middle one ; the claws curved and hooked, 
that of the hind toe the strongest. 
The type is peculiar to Borneo. 
A. dementia Less. Rev. Zool. 1840. 211. 
Dicrurus Vieill.f 
Bill moderate, with the culmen more or less elevated, keeled, and curved to the tip, which is 
emarginated, the lateral margins curved, the gonys lengthened and slightly advancing upwards; the 
nostrils basal, lateral, rounded, and concealed by the projecting plumes and bristles. Wings long, with 
the first three quills graduated, and the fourth and fifth equal and longest. Tail long and forked ; in 
some species with the outermost feathers prolonged, and webbed only at their ends. Tarsi very short, 
longer than the middle toe, and covered with transverse scales. Toes moderate, the lateral ones unequal, 
and both united at the base, especially the outer, which is united as far as the second joint ; the hind 
toe as long as the middle one, strong, and armed with a strong curved claw. 
These birds are inhabitants of India and its Archipelago, and the continent of Africa. They are usually seen singly? 
in pairs, or in small parties, perched on some elevated spot, or on the backs of cattle while grazing. From these stations 
they watch for passing insects, and, when they observe one, give rapid chase after it, sometimes returning to the same 
perch to await the approach of others. Some are said to hunt in small parties, though at a short distance from each 
other ; others fly from tree to tree at a great elevation, forming swoops after insects in their progress. They show 
great courage in attacking birds far superior to themselves in size, and the great speed of their flight enables them to 
attack and retreat with ease and safety. Some species, when about to seek a fresh locality, congregate in hundreds 
during the evening, and all roost together in bamboo and other thick jungles previously to their departure. All kinds of 
insects form the food of these birds. The nest is generally placed in the fork of a tree ; it is composed of twigs and 
roots carelessly put together, and not lined interiorly. The female lays about three eggs. 
1. D. malabaricus (Scop.) Sonn. Voy. t. 111. — Edolius ran- 
goonensis Gould, Jard. & Selby’s 111. Om. n. s. pi. 38. ; Dicrurus 
retifer Jerd. 
2. D. paradiseus (Linn.) — Edolius retifer Temm. ; Edolius 
cristatellus Blyth ; Ed. intermedius Less. 
3. D. grandis (Gould), Proc. Z. S. 1836.5. — Lanius mala- 
baricus Lath. Syn. pi. 108.; Dicrurus platurus Vieill.-, Chibia 
malabaricus Hodys. 
4. D. megarhynchus (Quoy & Gaim.) Voy.de l’Astrol. Zool. 1. 
p. 184. Ois. t. 6. 
5. D . forficatus (Linn.) — PI. enl. 189., Le Vaill. Ois. d’Afr. *- 
166. — Dicrurus cristatus Vieill . ; Lanius Drongo Shaw; Muscicapa 
galeata Bodd. 
6. D. balicassius (Linn.) Vieill. PI. enl. 60S. — Oriolus furcatus 
Gmel. ; Dicrurus affinis Blyth ; Dicrurus annectans Hodgs. ; Corvus 
afer Licht. ; Corvus assimilis Bechst. 
7. D . lophorinus Vieill. N. Diet. Hist. Nat. ix. 587., Le Vaill- 
Ois. d'Afr. t. 173. 
8. D. ccerulescens (Linn.) Vieill. Edwards’s Birds, pi. 5b. 
Lanius Fingali Shaw, Le Vaill. Ois. d’Afr. t. 172.? 
* Established by M. Lesson in 1840 {Rev. Zool. p. 211.). 
t In 1816, Vieillot ( Analyse , p. 41.) established the above name ; and Cuvier, in 1817, proposed Edolius for this division. Bhuchat g 
(1837) of Mr. Hodgson is synonymous. 
Q 
