72 
The Marquis of Tweeddale on the 
thus have the small South-African D. ludwigi made con¬ 
generic with D. balicassius ; and although ^^tail nearly square, 
outer feathers not curved upwards/^ constitutes in the key 
the differentiating generic character, D. annectens with its 
considerably forked tail and twisted outer rectrices finds a 
place in the genus. 
Dicrurus annectens is an incipient species of a crestless 
Dissemurus, on the confines of which genus it should be 
placed. 
Dicrurus atripennis, D. modestus, D. ludwigi, — These 
three African species cannot be generically separated from 
D. assimilis (ranked as a Buchanga in Mr. Sharpens Cata¬ 
logue) . The four known African species of the family form 
a natural group with subfurcate tails, and should be kept 
distinct under E/cicbenbacb^s title Musicus. The continental 
Dicrurus cor acinus, is not kept separate from the insular D. mo¬ 
destus, on the ground that the only tangible distinction is one 
of dimensions. This sound principle, as will be shown further 
on, is not always acted upon. 
Chibia. —All the Austro-Papuan and Moliiccan species with 
nearly square tails are included under this genus by Mr. 
Sharpe. The arrangement does not appear to be natural, 
Chibia hottentotta, the type of the genus, is an isolated form 
with a curved mandible. The gonys is curved, and does not 
rise from the chin-angle in a straight line. The bird is to some 
extent a fiower-pecker, and clings to the twigs of large flower¬ 
ing trees, searching for its food in the calyx and among the 
petals of each blossom; and although little has been recorded 
of the habits of the Papuan species, their bills are formed 
on a model such as that of any species of Dissemurus, and 
apparently are not adapted for exploring flowers. All the 
principal groups of the Indo-Malayan islands are brought 
by Mr. Sharpe within the area inhabited by the members of 
the genus Chibia as defined by him, while China is omitted. 
With the exception of Lombock and Flores, I am not ac¬ 
quainted with any Indo-Malayan island which is inhabited by 
any one of its members. As yet not one has been recorded 
from the three large Sunda Islands, nor from the Philippine 
