62 Zoological Society : — 



Order II. Insessores. 



Tribe Dentirostres. 



Family Laniad^e. 



Subfamily Laniana. 



Genus Lanius. 

 Lanius Hardwickii. 



This handsome little Shrike migrates, I believe, from the Deccan 

 for the purpose of breeding, probably resorting to the thickets and 

 ravines of the Western Ghauts, and returning to the Deccan about 

 September. I could not find its nest when on the hills in the month 

 of October ; but I shot a young bird, which may probably be the 

 young of this species. I give a description of its plumage. Beak 

 rich deep brown ; chin and throat dirty brownish-white ; under 

 plumage and under tail-coverts white ; flanks dull grey ; white streak 

 passing from the beak over the eye and ear-coverts ; ear-coverts and 

 patch behind the eye dull black ; top of the head and nape of the 

 neck brownish-grey, the feathers having very pale whitish ferruginous 

 tips ; feathers on the lower part of the neck and back are on their 

 basal half grey, and the remaining portion greyish-brown with light 

 tips. On the lower part of the back the feathers are very filmy and 

 thick-set, of a grey colour, with a dark band near their ends, and 

 tipped with white. Primaries hair-brown ; bastard wing brown ; 

 greater coverts lighter brown with pale tips ; secondaries hair-brown ; 

 tertials paler brown, with light edges. Tail consists of twelve feathers ; 

 the two outer are white, with pale brown near the ends on the outer 

 webs. The next feather has also a dark spot near the tip on the 

 inner web ; the third feather is nearly black, with a white spot on 

 the inner web about half an inch from the end ; the remaining feathers 

 are of a black-brown, being nearly black on the inner webs ; lesser 

 coverts pale brown with light tips ; feathers on the thighs of a pale 

 grey-brown with white tips ; legs and feet lead-colour ; claws pale 

 brown ; the legs and claws have a white powdered look in several 

 places, especially near the junction of the scales. This may perhaps 

 have been the young bird of the large rufous-backed Shrike, Lani%is 

 erythronotus. 



Lanius Excubitor. Large Grey Shrike. 



This is very common in the Deccan. It is generally seen seated on 

 the top of small babool trees, or other thorny bushes, in open country, 

 and may be distinguished at some distance by its silvery-white breast. 

 When disturbed, it flies low to some neighbouring bush, on the top 

 of which it alights, uttering its harsh and grating cry. The Grey 

 Shrike begins to breed as early as January, as a boy brought me a 

 pair of nearly fledged young ones on the 2nd of February. They 

 almost, if not invariably build in a thorn bush, and generally well 

 into the centre. I subjoin a note penned at the time of finding one 

 of their nests : — ** 15th May. Saw a pair of Grey Shrikes building 



