DRONGOS. 
35 1 
considerably in coloration from the foregoing species. The whole of the upper- 
parts and the throat, as far as the breast, are purplish blue, with a wonderful violet 
shimmer in certain lights; while the remainder of the under-parts are white, and 
the wings blackish brown, with a violet tinge; the whole of the darker portion of 
the plumage being shot with a coppery lustre. This bird is distributed over the 
whole of Central Africa, and extends northwards into Abyssinia and Western 
Arabia. A truly arboreal species, it is found both on the plains and in the 
SOUTHERN GRACKLE (f Hat. size). 
mountains, generally associating in parties of from six to twenty individuals; its 
general habits being very similar to those of the other members of the group. 
The Grackies, Not to be confounded with the true mynas, mentioned later on, 
or Hill-Mynas. {j ie grackies, or hill-mynas of India and the adjacent regions, are birds 
of glossy black plumage, easily distinguished by the presence of fleshy yellow or 
orange wattles on the head. The beak is thick, high, curved, and shorter than the 
head; while the feathers of the crown are short and inwardly curved, with a kind 
of parting down the middle of the head; the wing being rather blunt, the tail short 
and nearly squared, and the foot strong. 
The southern grackle (Eidabetes religiosa), of Southern India and Ceylon 
may be taken as a well-known example of the genus; and is distinguished from 
the others by having bare skin on the sides of the neck, and two long patches on 
the neck. Its whole plumage is glossy black, with the exception of a patch of white 
