331.  Dicrurus leucopygialis, Blyth. The White-vented Drongo.

Buchanga leucopygialis (Bl.), Hume, Rough Draft N. & E. no. 281 bis.

Colonel Legge gives us the following account of the breeding of this Drongo, which is confined to Ceylon:—­“The breeding-season of this Drongo is from March until May; and the nest is almost invariably built at the horizontal fork of the branch of a large tree, at a considerable height from the ground, sometimes as much as 40 feet.  It is a shallow cup, measuring about 21/4 inches in diameter by 1 in depth, and is compactly put together, well finished round the top, but sometimes rather loose on the exterior, which is composed of fine grass-stalks and bark-fibres, the lining being of fine grass or tendrils of creepers.  The number of eggs varies from two to four, three being the most common.  They vary much in shape, and also in the depth of their ground-tint; some are regular ovals, others are stumpy at the small end, while now and then very spherical eggs are laid.  They are either reddish white, ‘fleshy,’ or pure white, in some cases marked with small and large blotches of faded red, confluent at the obtuse end, and openly dispersed over the rest of the surface, overlying blots of faint lilac-grey; others have a conspicuous zone round the large end, with a few scanty blotches of light red and bluish grey on the remainder; in others, again, the markings are confined to a few very large roundish blotches of the above colours at one end, or, again, several still larger clouds of brick-red at the obtuse end, with a few blotches of the same at the other.  Dimensions from 1.0 to 0.86 inch in length, by 0.72 to 0.68 in breadth.  I once observed a pair in the north of Ceylon very cleverly forming their nest on a horizontal fork by first constructing the side furthest from the angle, thus forming an arch, which was then joined to the fork by the formation of the bottom of the structure.

“The parent birds in this species display great courage, vigourously sweeping down on any intruder who may threaten to molest their young.”

334.  Chaptia aenea (Vieill.). The Bronzed Drongo.

Chaptia aenea (V.), Jerd.  B. Ind. i, p. 433; Hume, Rough Draft N. & E. no. 282.

The Bronzed Drongo breeds, according to Mr. Hodgson’s notes, in the central hills of Nepal, or rather in the plains near to these hills, rarely quitting large woods.  They begin to lay in March, and build a broad somewhat saucer-shaped nest some 4 or 5 inches in width and 2 to 3 in depth externally.  The nest is placed in some slender horizontal fork, to one at least of the twigs of which it is firmly attached by vegetable fibres; it is composed of fine twigs and grass, and bound round with, cobwebs in which pieces of lichen and small cocoons are often intermingled.  Mr. Hodgson specially notes:—­“June 6th, valley.  Female, nest and eggs; nest on fork of upper branch of large tree, 4.5 inches wide by 2.25 deep, cup-shaped, made of fibres of grass bound with cobweb, lining none; three eggs, obtusely oval, the ground fawn tinged white, blotched (especially at larger end) with fawn or reddish brown,”