DISSEMURUS PAEADISEUS. 
(THE RACKET-TAILED DRONGO.) 
Linn. Syst. Nat, i. p. 172 (1766). , -n a 
MoUm mMlaharicw, Layard & Kelaart, Prodromus, Cat. Ceylon B. App. p. (1868) , 
Jerdon (in pt.), B. of Ind. i. p. 4:o7 (1862). 
Edolius paradisem, Layard, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1854, xiii. p. • 
Dissemurm malabaricus, Holdsw. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 439, Legge, is, , on 
IHssemurus ceylonmsis, Sharpe, Cat. B. iii. p. 264 (1877); Tweeddale, Ibis, 1878, p. 82. 
Hume, Str. Feath. 1878, p. 222. _ 7 , n 77 , « 
Le Coucou vert hupS de Siam, Brisson ; Paradise Cuckoo, Lath. ; The Paradise Pmujo; Ue^ 
Long-tailed King-Crow, Europeans in Ceylon. PUmraj, Hind., liL “ King of t e ees 
Maha-kawuda, Sinhalese ; Prattu valem kuruvi, lit. “ Double-tailed bird, Tami s m or 
of Ceylon. 
Adult male Length 17-0 to 19-0 inches, according to length of tail ; wing 5-8 to 6-2 ; tail 11-0 to 12 5 to tip of 
oJTfate the penult™.., in one of the I.tter n.e..ure«ent 6-8 .h.rt.r; »ote. n.,,r e.ceed.n* 2-7o . 
tarsus 0-9 to I'O ; mid toe 0-8, its claw (straight) 0-35 ; bill to gape 1 4o. 
length 16-0 to WO inches ; ning 5-6 to G-1 , toU lO-O to WO to lip of outer tail-fe.th.r, ,hieh proj.cl. 
not more than 5-5, and in some only 4-0, beyond the penultimate. 
lo. , .h. h^ po,tie„ 
of the shaft varies from 3-0 to 4-75 inches m length. 
Iris verjing from brownish rsd to d«,p red, m.tnre, but no. oged, birds h.ri.g it of the former hue i b.11, legs, ond 
PlumtS diet black, highly glossed on the 
on the breast and lower parts the metallic sheen is of a bluer webbed TiS stand ;rect, while the 
^-s,a few w4 terminal 
The *^^keT to the horizontal plane of the tail and curves sll^My inwards. 
Ymrw (nestling). Iris brown ; bill black ; legs and feet bluish black. 
Just after quitting the nest (July) the crest is ‘’“‘y ^J^^^re Xrt ^ tail glossed 
and very short ; the plumes of the head an m n ^ inches longer than the adjacent pair and almost 
with metallic green; the lateral rectrices are opposite the end of the penultimate ; beneath 
fully webbed, there being a slight indentation, or hoUow so to spe j wing-coverts spotted 
blackish brown; under tail-coverts fluffy and without any terminal wn 
with white. September, the crest is tolerably developed, the 
In the next stage (January following), probably acquired by mo racket-feathers are denuded for about 
posterior feathers lengthened and recurved, but °P® ' , q.qs inch remaining, the racket about 3-0 in 
2 inches of most of the inner web, a border nex^t *1*® penultimate; the feathers of the hind neck 
length and the whole projecting about 4| to 5-0 inches bey 
