Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 2).djvu/96

82 n b. Bill straight and Thrush-like ; rictal bristles well developed. a 6. Tail about twice tarsus. a 7. Throat of male brilliantly coloured ............ CALLIOPE, p. 101. b 7. Throat of male coloured like remainder of lower parts ................ TARSIGER, p. 104. b 6. Tail considerably more than twice tarsus. c 7. Tail uniformly of one colour. a 8. Tips of tail-feathers mucronate .......... IANTHIA, p. 105. b 8. Tips of tail-feathers rounded ............ ADELUBA, p. 108. d 7. Tail largely white ...... NOTODELA, p. 111. b 5. Bill slender and curved ; rictal bristles obsolete .......... THAMNOBIA, p. 113. 6 4 . Outer tail-feathers falling' short of tip of tail by a distance quite equal to length of middle foe. c Tail of one colour .......... CALLENE, p. 113. d 5. Tail black and white ...... COPSYCHUS, p. 116. b'". Tail much longer than wing .... CITTOCINCLA, p. 118.

Genus HENICURUS, Temm., 1823.

The genus Henicurus comprises certain birds with the general appearance of Pied Wagtails, but differing from them in having a forked tail and ten primaries, together with a coarse bill.

The Forktails are found in mountain-streams flitting from pool to pool and feeding on insects which are found on the edge of the water. They are solitary and not very shy when disturbed, flying some distance further on, and on being disturbed a second time frequently disappearing into the jungle to return to the stream shortly afterwards. They wag their tails incessantly, and seldom perch except on rocks and bare branches near the ground. They build nests of moss in the banks of streams or under rocks and snags, and lay spotted eggs.

In Henicurus the bill is nearly as long as the head, stout and straight, and the lower mandible is much bulged out in the middle ; the rictal bristles are well developed ; the wing is large, the first primary being about half the length of the second ; the tail is much longer than the wing, deeply forked, and the median feathers of about one third the length of the outer ones ; the tarsus is long and of a very pale colour. The sexes are alike. None of the species are known to migrate.