( 403 ) 



for loading our lists with names for the latter. We thought hitherto that we could 

 dispense with names for such colour-aberrations, though Naun)ann and others used to 

 call albinoes and other variations by Latin names; but their names were not actual 

 names to be considered in nomenclature, because every species in a genus had a 

 " varietas p((llid((, hUea, alba, variegata," etc. What is now Suschkin's (malogus ? 

 What is the dift'erence between Suschkin's " jiersonal variation" and his "aber- 

 ration " ? .Surely we shall be happier without names for aberrations — as looked 

 upon by entomologists — while I fail to understand what a " variety " is, if the 

 author has besides the latter " subspecies " and " aberrations " ! I can only recognise 

 geographical and non-geographical variations. The former we call by trinomials, the 

 latter we do not recognise in nomenclature, and I sincerely hope that we shall 

 be spared names for them. In cases where well-marked groups of varieties weie 

 known, as in many owls, some goatsuckers, a few petrels, Beiiiiefjrelta sacra, and 

 others, it has become customary to talk of these colour-varieties as " phases." 1 

 think another expression would be more suitable, as a phase, as a rule, is the term 

 for a changing stage of a thing, while we know that these colorations are not stages 

 that change gradually, but that some individuals aiijjear in one, others in the other 

 colour throughout life. The term "phases" should be retained for age-variations, 

 so that we may talk of the brown and the white " phase " of the Gannet, the former 

 being the juvenile, the latter the adult stage ; or of the white and the brown " phase " 

 of the Snow Grouse, the former being the winter, the latter the summer garment. 



To return to Lanius hogihniovn : it is a very x-ariable form. The types of crtcWei 

 and dichrourus are much the same, but a worn so-called pseud ocollurio shows the 

 transition to the bogdanowi-, elaeagni-, infiiscattts-tjiye, moreover raddei and 

 dichrourus do not come from the .same country. I fail to see how Suschkin came to 

 the dictum that raddei, infiiscal.as, pseudocoUurio and elaeagni are " subspecies," 

 while bogdanmvi was only a " variety " or " personal aberration." The distribution 

 does not seem to lead to such a view! Moreover, I fail to see that Otoinela varia 

 Sarudny is a synonym of bogdanotvi, as Suschkin says. It is, judging from specimens 

 named " varia" by Sarudny, and from the descriiition, a synonym of phoenicuroides. 

 The remarks bj' its author are truly humorous, for he says (according to the trans- 

 lation in Orn. Monatsber. 1897. p. 183) that this bird looks like a hybrid between 

 romanowi and karelini, e.xcept that the tail is differently marked ; that one might 

 consider it as a species, which accidentally straggled to the locality where it was 

 shot and there paired with a female of rotnaiiowi ! And, if it should be new, the 

 author proposes to call this energetic bird Otomela varia. A pity it was shot, and we 

 do not have the hybrids between varia and romanowi ! 



The list of what I consider synonyms of phoenicuroides is apiialling : montana, 

 canesrens, ruficepis, canicejjs, romanowi, karelini, varia. I am glad to agree with 

 Mr. Grant in my view about these, and to be able to state that Dr. Walter Rothschild 

 has taken great interest in these Shrikes, and that we have together fought many a 

 battle about them, and at last agreed perfectly about all of them. For the rest I 

 nuist refer my readers to Part TV . of my " ^'iigel d. pal. Fauna." 



In Mr. (irant's distribution of bogdanoim there appears to be a sliii ; Astrabad 

 being a town in North Persia, he should not have said to Astrabad and North Persia. 

 In the description of L. phoenicuroides it is said that the female is similar to the 

 male, but this is not quite correct. The distribution is given very roughly, no 

 distinction being made (as in the case of isabellimis, tigrinus and several others) 

 between the breeding range and winter quarters. 



