22 . 
DISSEMURUS , PARADISEUS 
(THE RACKET TAILED DRONGO) 
ADULT MALE 
Length 17 to 19 Inches, aocorcilng to length or tall; wing 8*8 to 6.2; 
tall 11 to 12*6 to tip of outer feather, the penultimate, in one or the lat¬ 
ter, measured 6.8 shorter; racket never exceeding 2.75; tarsus .9 to 1; mid¬ 
dle toe . 8, its cla.w (straight) .35; bill to gape 1.45. 
FEMALE 
Length 15 to 16 inches; wing 5.6 to 6.1; tail 10 to 11 to tip or outer 
tail feather, which projects not more ( than 5.5, and in some only 4.4 beyond 
the penultimate. 
DISTRIBUTION 
This showy bird is chiefly an Inhabitant of the dry region of Ceylon, 
from the Vann1 to Puttalam on the West side, extending through all the East¬ 
ern portions of the island and flat jungle clad country between Haputale and 
the South-east coast, up to the slopes of the Morowak Korale ranges. In 
the latter region, particularly In forest on the banks of rivers, and in 
most of the Northern forests, It is very numerous, approaching close to the 
sea coast where the jungle is heavy. I have found it on the Lunegalla pass 
up to two thousand feet, and it doubtless ranges to the same elevation on 
the entire Eastern and Northern slopes of the Central zone. 
In the Western Province I haxe never met'with It, but in 1872 I obtained 
an example in the forest of Kottowe, near Galla, a remarkably isolated posi¬ 
tion, some fifty miles distant from the limits of its general range. it 
is therefore possible it may still be found in some of the lower forests be¬ 
tween that point and Korunegaila, thus extending Its range throughout all 
the low country. 
It has been procured by Mr Whyte’s collectors in the neighbourhood of Kan¬ 
dy. Layard procured it first at Anuradhapura, and wrote of it as being con¬ 
fined to the Vanril; It was also In the Northern forests that Mr Holdsworth 
met with it. 
HABITS 
Wherever the forest Is luxuriant in the North and East of the island, 
this splendid bird delights to reign; he is a petty monarch among the numer¬ 
ous feathered denizens of the wood, now exercising his varied talents in 
closely mocking their notes, now dashing at some diligent Woodpecker who has 
