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system makes the relations of forms infiniteljr clearer. It must not be left 

 nimifntioiieil that Taozauowski correctly described the various jilumages of the 

 North Siberian Grey Shrike, fully recognising that the brown liirds were the yountf 

 of the grey ones. It is strange that Russian authors and Mr. Dresser have not 

 grasped the fact that their L. mollis is the young of a Grey Shrike. Not only do 

 they bear all the peculiarities of juvenile birds, such as the closely barred under- 

 surfact" and pale bill, but they are variable, and moreover the North American large 



4 



Fourth scconcLary from inside of L, c. 2"'-i>i-'<il>^ii- 



Grey Shrike, L. boredlis Vieill.. has the same brown young, some being almost 

 indistinguishable from the brownest mollisl It is possible that this fact was 

 unknown to the Ivussian ornithologists who wrote about L. mollis, and who were 

 probably little acquainted with North American birds; but Mr. Dresser could have 

 known it as well as any one else. In fact, the North American Great Grey Shrike 

 is so much like the North Siberian one that it cannot easily be distinguished. 

 Single specimens are sometimes indistinguishable, but the upper surface seems to be 

 clearer grey, and t lie rump is more tinged with grey in adult birds ; moreover, the 



