( 455 ) 



terminal tliirdliciiig black; tlie nun]) and ii[)|ior t.ail-coverts conspienonsly white, 

 the outer jiair of tail-feathers jmre white to the base, the fifth i)air similar, or with 

 a small jiatch of black on the middle margin of tlie inner web, the fonrth ]iair 

 with the middle of the inner web black and a small oblong black ])atch on the 

 margin of the outer web. 



This species differs from L. leuropterm in having a black snbterminal j)atch on 

 the inner web of all the secondaries, whereas in the latter species some of the 

 median secondaries have the inner web pure white ; moreover in L. leucopterus 

 the outer tail-feathers are whiter. 



Total length ca. 9-5 in. ; wing 4'r) — 4-7, tail 5-7, tarsus ]-2. 



Adult femith'. — .Similar to the vud(\ but a little smaller. 



Yoiiiiij birils. — Resemble the adult, but the upper parts are washed with 

 brownisli, and the greater secondary coverts are strongly edged with pale bnft". 



Ildlj. Central Asia, ranging north to the Irtish River, eastwards lo Lob-norand 

 the Tsaidam, south to Gilgit, and westwards to the Sea of Aral. This bird 

 occasionally occurs in Asia Minor, the Volga, South Austria, France, and even in 

 Great Britain (if the locality on a bird obtained through the late Mr. Frederick 

 Bond is correctly given as England). 



5. Lanius leucopterus (PL XXV. fig. 4). 



Lmikis hui'optervit Severtz., Turk. Jerotn. p. G7 (IST.'?) (Turkestan) ; Dresser, Jhi.i, 187lj. p. 184; 



Gadow. t. c. p. 242 ; Dresser, liinls uf Eumjip, ix. Sii/i/il. p. IGl. PI. (!(!8. fig.2 (1895). 

 Laniux przcmiUkii Bogd., t. c. pp. 147, 211, and 219. PI. III. fig. 2. 



Adult male. — Only differs from L. homeyeri in having more white on the 

 secondaries, some of the median quills having the entire inner web pure white. 

 The two outer pairs of tail-feathers are almost always jniro white without a black 

 spot on the margin of the inner web. 



Total length ca. 10 in. ; wing 4-7, tail 4-8, tarsus 1-15 



Adult female. — Similar to the male, but somewhat smaller. 



Immature birds. — Resemble the adult, but the grey of the upper parts is 

 suffused with brown. 



Hah. Occupies much the same range as that given lor L. Iiomri/eri, extending 

 north to Krasnoyarsk, south to the Tsaidam, and westwards to the River Aris, but 

 we are not aware of its occurrence to the west of that locality. 



Lanius leucopterus x L. sphenocercus. 



Kfemale example from Seoul, Oorea, a]ipears to be intermediate between the 

 above species, the markings of the tail-feathers agreeing with those of L. leucopterus ; 

 bnt the greater size, length of the tail and wing, as well as the locality, seem to 

 indicate L. sphenocercus. 



0. Lanius sphenocercus (PI. XXVI. fig. 5). 



Lanius niiijor David (iirr P[ill.), Cat. Pih. (fide David & f>u9tal. oj>. ril. hifrii). 



Luiiius sjiheiiureiriis Cab., J. f. O. 1873. p. 7G tCanton) ; David & Oustal, din. Chine, p. 92. PI. li', 

 (1877) ; Bogd., t. c. pp. 149, 211, and 219; G.adow., t. c. p. 2-1:1 



Adult male. — Easily distinguished i'rom L. excuhitor, L. homci/eri, and f,. 

 leucopterus by the grey rump, uniform in colour with the back, and the much longer 

 tail, with the three outer pairs of tail-feathers j)are white. The black on the 

 terminal half of the secondaries is sometimes continued in a narrow band on either 



