Part 23

The RAVEN SHRIKES (_Thamnophilus_) appear to combine all the peculiarities exhibited by the various members of this group, and in some respects resemble the Jay in appearance. These birds are recognisable by their powerful body and rounded wings, in which the third and fourth quills exceed the rest in length; the tail is long, composed of broad feathers, abruptly graduated at its sides, and rounded at its extremity. The beak is high, compressed at the sides, and rounded at the culmen; the upper mandible terminates suddenly in a large hook. The foot is muscular, the tarsus thick and of moderate length, the long fleshy toes are armed with large hooked claws, that of the hinder toe considerably exceeding the rest in size. The plumage is composed of broad feathers, and thus appears thick and rich in texture; the region of the beak is surrounded by a slight growth of bristles.

VIGORS' RAVEN SHRIKE.

VIGORS' RAVEN SHRIKE (_Thamnophilus undulatus_ or _Thamnophilus Vigorsii_) is a large bird about fourteen inches long; its wing measures five and its tail six inches. The plumage of the male is entirely black upon the upper side, streaked with white upon the back, wings, and tail; the lower parts of the body are of an uniform dark grey, somewhat paler upon the throat. The female is almost exclusively yellowish brown, the top of the head being blackish brown, and the back, wings, and tail striped alternately with black and reddish yellow. Burmeister found the Bush Shrike inhabiting the wooded highlands of Rio de Janeiro and Santo Paulo, occasionally in the vicinity of the towns and villages. Such as he observed hopped about amongst the branches at some distance from the ground, repeatedly uttering their monotonous cry. They exhibited no fear of molestation, and would allow a sportsman to approach quite close, even if armed with his gun.

We are somewhat better informed as to the habits of the species of Bush Shrikes mentioned by Azara and the Prince von Wied. These are described as resembling both the Shrikes and the Ant Thrushes (_Pitta_) in form and general appearance. All lead a retired life amidst the bushy foliage of their native forests, and usually prefer the darkest and most secluded localities, seldom quitting these retreats except when flying from one bush to another. The larger species are occasionally met with in the open country, but there, as elsewhere, they keep within the shelter of the brushwood, and only leave their favourite haunts for a few minutes morning and evening. Towards other birds they exhibit little sociability, but are much attached to their mates, each couple keeping together throughout their lives. The voice of the various species is so very similar as to render it almost impossible to distinguish the one from the other by the ear alone. The Prince von Wied describes their cry as resembling the sound produced by the rebound of a ball from a stone or other hard body, followed by a deep bass note. In some few instances the call is perfectly monotonous. The Bush Shrikes subsist almost exclusively upon insects, but they also destroy small reptiles and young birds. The nest, which is carelessly formed of blades of grass and moss, lined with feathers, is concealed so cunningly as to render its discovery difficult, even by the sharp-eyed natives. The eggs are laid about December; they are of a dirty yellow colour, marked with a wreath of olive-brown spots at the broad end.

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The DRONGO SHRIKES (_Edolii_) constitute a family of birds found extensively throughout Africa, Southern Asia, and New Holland; they appear to form the connecting link between the Shrikes and the Fly-catchers. All the various members of this family have slender bodies, long wings and tails, broad beaks, and short feet. The fourth and fifth wing-quills exceed the rest in length; the tail is composed of ten feathers, and is more or less deeply forked at its extremity. The large thick beak is surrounded with bristles at its broad base; the slightly-curved upper mandible is incised at its edges and terminates in a hook; the tarsi are short, the feet small but muscular, and armed with strong claws. The plumage is dark-coloured, thick, harsh, and possesses a very peculiar gloss. Most species are black, others blue, and some few light or deep blue upon the back and whitish beneath; the eye is always bright red, and the beak and feet black. All the members of this family are very similar in their habits and mode of life.

THE KING CROW, OR FINGA.

The KING CROW, or FINGA of Bengal (_Dicrourus macrocercus_), is one of the most remarkable and most numerous of the many species inhabiting India. Its length is about twelve and its breadth sixteen inches; the wing measures five inches and three-quarters, and the tail about six inches. In this bird the entire body is of a resplendent black, deepest in shade upon the wings and tail; the under portions are brownish black; the region of the nape is decorated with a white spot. The sexes are alike in colour, and the young are readily distinguished from their parents by white crescent-shaped spots upon the feathers that cover the under surface. The nest is composed of grass, twigs, and roots carefully put together, and contains from three to five eggs of a white colour, with pale brown or purplish spots.

The Finga is found throughout the whole of India, Assam, and Burmah, as far as China, occupying almost every locality except the densest parts of the jungle. An almost identical but larger bird is met with in Ceylon. We are also acquainted with four other Indian varieties, and several very similar species inhabit Africa and Australia.

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The DRONGOS (_Chaptia_) are recognisable from the last-mentioned group by their more delicate feet and less decidedly pointed tails.

THE SINGING DRONGO.

The SINGING DRONGO (_Chaptia musica_) is nine inches long; its wing and tail both measure four inches and a half. The plumage is of a blueish black, enlivened by a most brilliant gloss; the wing and tail-feathers are black; the belly and lower wing-covers dark grey, approaching to black.

Le Vaillant discovered this bird in South-eastern Africa, and more recent travellers have seen it in the northern parts of that continent. India possesses a very similar species, which, however, unlike the rest of the group, frequently inhabits dense thickets.

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The FLAG-BEARING DRONGOS (_Edolius_ or _Dissemurus_) constitute a group of still more striking birds, with tails in which the exterior feathers are more than twice the length of those in the centre. The lower half of these outer feathers is entirely without web, while at the tip the web is broad at the outer and very narrow on the inner side, so as somewhat to resemble a flag. The beak is comparatively long and powerful, slightly compressed at its base and much curved at the culmen, hooked at the tip, and furnished with teeth-like appendages; the base of the beak is surrounded with thick soft bristles.

THE BEE KING.

The BEE KING of the Indians (_Edolius paradiseus_) is fourteen inches long; the outer tail-feathers are eighteen or nineteen inches in length, while those in the centre do not exceed six inches and a half; the wing measures six inches and three-quarters. The rich plumage is of an uniform black, with a blue metallic gloss. The feathers upon the fore part of the head are prolonged into a crest, and, like those upon the nape and breast, are slightly incised at their extremities.

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The DRONGO SHRIKES are met with in large numbers throughout the whole of India, even to an altitude of 8,000 feet, and may constantly be seen sitting upon the house-tops or telegraph-posts in the immediate vicinity of man, or perching fearlessly on the backs of the sheep as they wander about the fields and pastures. Some few species seek for food during the night, and carry on the chase in parties, which assemble on a favourite tree shortly after sunset; others, again, are active throughout the entire day, and though they do not hunt for prey after evening has closed in, may frequently be heard uttering their loud, harsh, monotonous cry should the night be fine and moonlit. During the breeding season each pair lives entirely apart from the rest, and permits no intruder to approach the nest.

We learn from Le Vaillant, Blyth, and others, that the Drongos are in many respects highly endowed, their instincts acute, their various senses well developed, and their movements through the air distinguished by great lightness and activity. So acute is their vision that, like the Swallow, they dart upon a flying insect from a considerable distance with a rapidity that renders escape almost impossible, and, as we have said, readily destroy their game even in the twilight. Except when engaged in seeking food, they rarely come to the ground; indeed, they seem to have considerable difficulty in using their delicate feet, even whilst in the trees, merely employing them as a means of clinging to the branches, and appearing quite incapable of hopping from one twig to another with anything like a sprightly motion. Such acts as bathing or drinking are carried on, as in the case of the Swallow, whilst the birds are upon the wing. All the members of this group are lively, noisy, and active. They exhibit the utmost courage in defending their mates and nestlings from danger, several individuals often combining together to drive away a common foe. They constantly attack Owls with great spirit, and Gurney tells us that they frequently endeavour to battle with the larger birds of prey. So violent are they during the season for choosing a mate, that Jerdon mentions having seen four or five of these desperate rivals rolling together upon the ground, as they fought in a paroxysm of rage and jealousy. All the various tribes of Drongos appear to subsist exclusively upon insects, more particularly upon bees and wasps; some large species also devour grasshoppers, dragon-flies, and butterflies, but, like their smaller brethren, prefer such insects as are furnished with stings, thus often rendering themselves extremely troublesome to the owners of bees. At the Cape of Good Hope they are known under the name of "Bee-eaters." Le Vaillant tells us that they seem to know exactly at what hour the heavily-laden insects return to their hives, and adroitly relieve them of their burdens, strewing the ground with the wings and bodies of the victims. We learn from Gurney that they are often attracted by the smoke from the conflagrations that occasionally burst forth upon the arid plains of their native lands, for they know well that the devouring flames will drive forth a host of insects, and thus afford a rich and abundant supply of food. Philipps mentions an amusing instance of the cunning displayed by some of these birds whilst engaged in the pursuit of a meal. Upon one occasion, he tells us, he saw a locust closely pursued by a bird that was almost near enough to seize it, when an observant Drongo, having espied the tempting morsel, and finding it impossible to reach the spot in time, suddenly uttered the cry of terror usually employed to signal the approach of a Hawk; the ruse succeeded; the other bird instantly darted away to seek safe shelter, leaving the wily Drongo in undisturbed possession of the coveted booty.

The season of the year at which the incubation of these birds takes place is somewhat uncertain, and naturalists differ very considerably in their opinions on this point. According to our own observations and experience, they breed but once in the year. The nest, like that of the Pirol, is suspended between two branches at some distance from the ground, and so placed as to be fully exposed to all the changes of wind and weather; nevertheless, the exterior is very carelessly formed of twigs and fibres, and has no lining except at most a few coarse hairs. The eggs, three or four in number, have a white or reddish white shell, spotted with brown or red. Many species of the Drongo are caught and reared; the Bee-eater in particular is very commonly seen in the houses in Calcutta and other Indian cities. Blyth tells us that it is readily tamed, and soon becomes a most amusing companion, from the power it possesses of imitating not only the voices of other birds, which it does so exactly as to deceive their mates, but also any sound it hears.

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The SWALLOW SHRIKES (_Artami_) constitute a family of strangely-formed birds, that inhabit New Holland, India, and the Malay Islands. Their muscular bodies are furnished with very long wings, in which the second quill is longer than the rest. Their short or moderate-sized tails are either quite straight or slightly incised at the extremity. The beak is short, almost conical, rounded at the sides, the upper mandible slightly bent at the tip, and incised at the margins. The feet are strong, with short tarsi and toes, the latter armed with sharp and very hooked claws. The plumage is thick, and of a dusky hue.

THE WOOD SWALLOW SHRIKE.

The WOOD SWALLOW SHRIKE (_Artamus sordidus_) is of a reddish grey upon the body; the tail and wings are dark blueish black, the third and fourth quill being edged with white upon the outer web. The tail-feathers, with the exception of the two in the centre, are broadly tipped with white. The eye is dark brown, the beak blue at its base and black at its tip; the feet are greyish white. The female is smaller than her mate, and presents a spotted appearance upon the back, the feathers on that part having a dirty white streak upon their shafts. The colour of the surface of the body is a mixture of white and brown. This bird is about six inches long and thirteen and a half broad.

The various species of Swallow Shrike, though differing slightly in some of their habits and in their mode of life, still bear so strong a family likeness to each other as will permit us to describe them collectively. All prefer woodland districts, and usually select localities in which their favourite trees abound. One species in particular is called by the natives the Palmyra Swallow, from the fact that it always seeks the shelter of the Palmyra palm. Such members of the family as inhabit Java select trees growing in open tracts, covered with short grass and brushwood; one of their favourite trees is then chosen as a sleeping-place or gathering-point, and from thence they fly over the surrounding country in search of food. Jerdon tells us that the fancy of the Swallow Shrike for certain trees is so strong that where these grow it is often found living at an altitude of 4,000 feet above the level of the sea. It is only in the air that these birds exhibit their full powers; and as they glide along, with outspread but almost motionless wings, their movements resemble those of some of the Raptores. Other species, on the contrary, exhibit all the rapidity and free evolution of the True Swallow, as they soar aloft or sink rapidly to the earth in pursuit of their tiny aërial victims. They but rarely descend to the ground, as their progress on foot is accomplished with some difficulty. Shortly after the breeding season enormous parties of Swallow Shrikes congregate upon the trees, where they live in the utmost harmony, each one satisfying its own wants, and carrying on the business of the day without either molesting or rendering assistance to its companions. A tree thus occupied is as full of life and bustle as a beehive, every part of its foliage affording a perch to one of these hungry and active birds, whose sharp eyes enable them instantly to detect and dart upon a passing insect, after which process they at once return to their former position on the tree. Gould tells us that these large flocks may often be seen hovering over a sheet of water, and literally darkening its surface by their numbers, as they dart about amidst the tempting hosts of insects that abound in such localities. We must not omit to mention one very striking peculiarity of the Wood Swallows. Gilbert tells us he has seen swarms of these birds, as large as a bushel measure, hanging like bees in large clusters from the branches of the trees. "This bird," says Gould, "besides being the commonest species of the genus, is a great favourite with the Australians, not only on account of its singular and pleasing actions, but by its often taking up its abode and incubating near the houses, particularly such as are surrounded by paddocks and open pasture-land, skirted by large trees. It was in such situations as these I first had the opportunity of observing this species; it is there very numerous in all the cleared estates on the south side of the Derwent, about eight or ten being seen on a single tree, crowding against one another on the same dead branch, but never in such numbers as to deserve the appellation of flocks. Each bird appeared to act independently of the other, each, as the desire for food prompted it, sallying forth from the branch to capture a passing insect, or to soar around the tree and return again to the same spot. On alighting it repeatedly throws one wing out at a time, and spreads its tail obliquely, previous to settling. At other times a few were seen perched on the fence surrounding the paddock, on which they frequently descended like Starlings, in search of coleoptera and other insects. It is not, however, in this state of comparative quiescence that this graceful bird is seen to best advantage, neither is it at that state of existence for which its form is especially adapted; for though its structure is more equally suited for terrestrial, arboreal, and aërial habits than any other species I have examined, yet the form of the wings point out the air as its peculiar province. Here it is that when engaged in pursuit of the insects which the warm weather has enticed from their lurking-places among the foliage to sport in higher regions, this beautiful species in its aërial flights displays its greatest beauty, whilst soaring above in a variety of easy positions, with its white-tipped tail outspread."

The voice of these birds resembles the call-note of the Swallow, but is somewhat harsher and more monotonous. Some are stationary, while others wander from one place to another as soon as the period of incubation is over. The Wood Swallow makes its appearance in Van Dieman's Land in October, at the commencement of the Australian summer; and after rearing two broods returns again to more northern latitudes. The nests are built in a great variety of situations. Gould found one in a thickly-foliaged bush close to the ground, another placed in the fork of a bare branch, and others under the loose bark of a large tree; they are also frequently placed under the roofs of the settlers' houses; and one species in particular prefers to avoid all labour by taking possession of the deserted nests of other birds. Their own nests are usually neatly formed of delicate twigs, woven together, and lined with fine fibrous roots. The four eggs that constitute a brood are generally of a dirty white, spotted and streaked with reddish brown. Bernstein tells us that the species inhabiting Java build amid the parasitic plants that cover their favourite palms, or upon the leaves of the tree itself, forming their little abodes of grass, moss, fibres, and small leaves, carelessly arranged, but strongly lined with soft and elastic materials. The Indian species, according to Jerdon, makes a bed of feathers inside its nest. Many of the members of this family remain in company even during the breeding season, and build in close proximity to each other. It is still uncertain whether the male bird assists in the cares of incubation, but both parents tend their young with great care, and rear them exclusively upon insect diet.

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The FLY-CATCHERS, according to Linnæus, comprise a large number of small singing birds, distinguished by their broad, flat beaks. These have again been divided into a variety of families, amongst which the following stands first upon our list as forming a connecting link between the Fly-catchers and the Shrikes properly so-called.

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The KING or TYRANT SHRIKES (_Tyranni_) constitute a family of American birds, having small but powerful bodies, and long, pointed wings, which when closed extend half-way down the tail. The second and third quills exceed the rest in length. The large broad tail is either excised or rounded at its extremity; the legs are strong, the tarsi high, and the toes muscular; the straight and slightly conical beak terminates in a hook, and is surrounded with bristles at its base. The thick soft plumage is usually grey upon the back, and white or yellow upon the under parts of the body. The Tyrant Shrikes are found extensively throughout South America, and are especially numerous in the warmest latitudes of that continent.

THE TRUE TYRANT SHRIKE, KING BIRD, OR TYRANT FLY-CATCHER.

The TRUE TYRANT SHRIKE, KING BIRD, or TYRANT FLY-CATCHER (_Tyrannus intrepidus_), as the most noted member of this family is called, is about eight inches long and fourteen broad. The soft and brilliant plumage of this species is prolonged into a crest at the top of the head. The entire back is of a deep blueish grey, darkest upon the head, the feathers that form the crest being edged with bright red and yellow; the under side is greyish white, tinted with a deeper shade on the breast. The throat and neck are pure white, the quills and tail brownish black, the latter tipped with white, as are the wing-covers. The eye is dark brown, the beak black, the feet greyish blue. In the plumage of the female all these colours are much more dusky and indistinct than in that of her mate.

According to Audubon, the Tyrant Shrike is one of the most attractive birds that visit the United States during the summer months. It appears in Louisiana about the middle of March, and occasionally remains until the middle of September, but the flocks for the most part proceed north before that season, and spread themselves over every part of the country, filling the air with their quivering shrill cry, as they explore the orchards, fields, or gardens, and fearlessly approach the dwelling-houses of mankind. As the breeding season draws near, they may be seen flying merrily about at some distance from the ground, in search of a convenient spot for building, the male constantly uttering his shrill note, and keeping quite close to his mate. The nest is formed of bits of cotton, wool, tow, or similar materials, and is usually of considerable size; the interior is neatly and thickly lined with fibres and horsehair; the four or six eggs have a reddish white shell, irregularly marked with brown streaks. No sooner is the brood laid than the male bird begins to exhibit the utmost courage and devotion in tending and protecting his partner. The entire day is occupied in feeding and entertaining her, as he perches close beside her on a twig, displaying his glowing crest and white breast in all its beauty to her admiring eyes. Should an enemy or rival approach, he darts furiously down and chases the intruder to a distance, sometimes as far as a mile from the nest, and then returns rapidly to his little family. So bold and fearless is the Tyrant Shrike upon these occasions, that even Falcons scarcely venture to approach its nest; and the cats of the neighbourhood, well knowing the reception they would meet with, carefully avoid trespassing within the domains of the intrepid father.