Corvus balicassius Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 12 (1766), 1, 157.
Dicrurus balicassius Tweeddale, Trans. Zool. Soc. (1875), 9,
180, pl. 31, fig. 1; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1877), 3,
230; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 101 (song); McGregor and Worcester,
Hand-List (1906), 107.
Dicrurus balicassius mindorensis Mearns,
Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. (1909), 36, 447. [100]
Ba-li-ca-si-ao, Filipino name.
Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Meyer, Everett, Bourns & Worcester,
Whitehead, McGregor, Bartsch); Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Mindoro
[101] (Steere Exp., Schmacker, Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead,
McGregor, Mearns); Polillo (McGregor); Verde (McGregor.)
Adult (sexes alike).--Black, the exposed edges of the feathers glossed
with steel-green which changes to dark purple in some lights; lores
velvety black; feathers of throat and chest somewhat lanceolate;
feathers of sides and flanks white or light gray basally; wing-lining
and axillars glossy steel-blue. A male from Lubang Island measures:
Length, 267; wing, 145; tail, 126; bill from nostril, 20; depth of
bill at nostril, 10; tarsus, 23. A female from Bataan Province, Luzon,
measures: Wing, 141; tail, 118; bill from nostril, 21; depth of bill
at nostril, 11; tarsus, 24.
"The Philippine representatives of this genus are all bold, impudent
birds, and invariably appear when there is any disturbance in the
woods. If picked up when wounded they bite and scratch viciously. They
all feed exclusively on insects so far as our observation goes. Three
male birds from Mindoro measure as follows: Wing, 138; tail, 113;
culmen, 32; tarsus, 23; middle toe with claw, 24. Three females from
Luzon, wing, 131; tail, 116.5; culmen, 31; tarsus, 23; middle toe
with claw, 24. Bill, legs, feet, and nails black. Found breeding on
the 25th of April." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)