[Illustration: THE JAVA BROAD-THROAT (_Eurylaimus Javanicus_).]
The TRUE BROAD-THROATS (_Eurylaimus_) are recognisable from the above group by the formation of their beak, which is longer and flatter than that of the last-mentioned species.
The JAVA BROAD-THROAT (_Eurylaimus Javanicus_) is blackish brown on the upper back, lemon-yellow on its lower portion, and greyish crimson on the under side; a stripe between the shoulders, another on the shoulder-covers, and several patches on the outer webs of the quills are lemon-yellow; the tip of the tail is enlivened by a white line; the beak is glossy black, except at the culmen and margins, which are greyish white; the first is yellowish brown. This bird is eight inches and a half long; the wing measures three inches and five-sixths, and the tail two inches and one-third.
According to Raffles, the Java Broad-throat frequents the banks of rivers and the vicinity of water, in search of worms and insects. It makes its nest on a branch overhanging the surface of the water. Helfer informs us that a very similar species occupies the tree-tops in flocks of from thirty to forty birds; and that they are either so fearless or so stupid as to remain on their perch regardless of the shots that are laying their companions dead.
The RAYA (_Psarisomus Dalhousiæ_), a representative of the above birds, is recognisable by its moderate-sized, broad beak, which is decidedly curved at its culmen and hooked at its tip. The short wing is slightly rounded, the tail long and graduated, and the plumage brightly tinted; the mantle is bright blue; the top of the head, except a small blue spot, quite black; the brow, cheek-stripes, a small tuft near the ear, the throat, and a narrow band at the nape are saffron-yellow; the entire under side is of a parrot green; the blackish-brown quills have a blue outer web; the tail-feathers are blue above and glossy blackish brown beneath; the eyes brown, and beak green, with a black culmen; the foot is dusky greenish yellow. The length of this species is fourteen inches; the wing measures four inches, and the tail five inches and a half.
This beautiful bird inhabits India, and, as Jerdon tells us, is met with in the forests of the Himalayas to a height of 6,000 feet above the sea; those he found were engaged in seeking their insect prey upon the trees, either alone or in pairs. The nest, according to the same author, is a large structure, loosely framed of grass and moss. The eggs, two in number, have a white shell.