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however, cannot be done. Gmelin's Lanius rufvs is based on Brisson's " Pie- 

 Griesche rousse," which is the European Eed-headed Shrike. The tail is described 

 by Brisson as half white, and this is the reason why Mr. Grant used his name 

 for niloticH,fi. But it is quite evident that Brisson described and only knew the 

 European bird, and he must have overlooked the fact that the base of the central 

 pair of rectrices was black, while the rest really are about half white. Nor is the 

 country where niloiiciut lives indicated by Brisson and Linnaeus, and the name nifus 

 is thus strictly synonymous of seniUor, ruficeps, auricidatus, ijomerunus, and 

 rvitilus. 



Lanius cognalus Breliui, Vogdfang, \). 84 (1855), is a further synonym of 

 L. senator, and not of collv.rio, as stated by Grant, and, probably following Grant, 

 also in Keicheuow's great work on the Birds of Africa. 



The name L. spinit or quits Yjech-item, a synonym of fo/inrio, dates from IT'.tl, 

 and not from 1805, as generally quoted, being already published in the first edition 

 of the Nalurr/esch. Deidschl. ii. p. 392. 



A very i)uzzling group are the Asiatic Brown-tailed Shrikes. I mean " Lanius 

 isabellinus, phoeiiicnroides, cristatus, superciliosus " and their allies. Mr. (irant 

 separated about as man}' forms as I consider separable, and I even must unite his 

 numbers 37 and 38 (pp. 472-3); but it appears to me strange that Mr. Grant did 

 not grasp the affinity of his numbers 37 and 38 with the cristatas-phoenicuroides- 

 isabellinus grou\>, as the latter are so closely allied to phoenicuroides. Mr, Grant 

 calls his number 38 " Laniios elaeagni" but this must have been an oversight, as 

 the name hogdanowi is nine years older, and must therefore be used. Mr. Grant 

 remarks, on p. 474, " I am doubtful if this bird is really a species distinct from 

 L. raddei, or merely a stage of plumage." After a careful study of the entire 

 material iu the St. Petersburg Museum, of the types of L. hogdanowi, L. raddei, 

 L. dichroiirus, L. infuscatus, " L. phoenicuroides pseudocollurio" of authenticated 

 spiecimens of L. elaeagni, and some examjiles kindly lent by Dr. Suschkin, I cannot 

 see any possibility for keeping these separate, thus agreeing with Mr. Grant, and 

 even going a step further. There is no doubt that this group of Shrikes is a 

 difficult one, and this fact should be a reason for being careful and hesitating before 

 naming supposed new forms belonging to it ; instead of this, however, our Russian 

 colleagues treat us with new names whenever one or more individuals differ from 

 the usual types. Dr. Suschkin, in an article in the Bull. B. 0. Club xvi. pp. 58-61, 

 endeavoured to enhghten us about these Shrikes. As we poor ones in the west of 

 Europe cannot see these birds alive, and Dr. Suschkin collected many specimens, 

 his article should be of great service to us; but unfortunately it only adds to our 

 embarrassment. According to Dr. Suschkin, L. raddei, infitsadus, pufludocollurio, 

 and elaeagni are " suhs\>ecies'' of phoenicuroides, while bogdunowi (^aid to be the 

 same as varius) is a " variety" (" personal variation " in the text) of L. ph. phoeni- 

 curoides, and, to add to the number of names, a new aberration is described as 

 analogus. ^^'orst of all, the distribution is not explained in Suschkin's article ; but 

 it is evident from the original descriptions, and most kindly confirmed by Dr. 

 Suschkin in litt., that his idea of subspecies is not the same as ours. Advanced 

 ornithologists have now agreed to use trinomials for geographical representatives. 

 Dr. Suschkin employs them partly for forms which breed in the same area. 

 Oniithologists have hitherto not named aberrations, becau.se we could very well 

 do without them, the cases in which species or subspecies occurred in numerous 

 well-marked colour-variations not being very numerous, and there being no necessity 



