96 PROCEEDINGS OP THE ACADEMY OF [1885. 



L. uncinatus" the latter being a big-billed island form from 

 Socotra, off the coast of Eastern Africa, and, judging from his 

 remarks (Cat. B. Brit. Mus., viii, p. 248) some of the specimens 

 from that region east of the Mediterranean may be even more like 

 the t}'pe of robustus. The conclusion of my comparison is that 

 the latter is more closety allied to some of the forms inhabiting the 

 regions south and east of the Mediterranean, than to any of the 

 known Nearctic species, but that it is entirely distinct from any 

 other species known. 



We shall now shortly review the evidence bearing upon the 

 origin of the type : 1. Gambel himself nowhere directly and par- 

 ticularly refers to the specimen in question ; 2. His collection was 

 turned over to the Academy four years after his original paper 

 was published ; 3. During the same year the Academy received 

 more than 18,000 specimens, a great many of which were from the 

 Old World ; 4. Not before ten years after is any direct allusion 

 made to the specimen by Cassin ; 5. No indication of it having 

 been collected in California, can now be found attached to the 

 bird or the stand ; 6. We have Dr. Coues' testimony that " some 

 specimens of Dr. Gambel's, to which the same locality (California) 

 is assigned, were certainly procured elsewhere " ; 7. So far as the 

 evidence goes, the bird is nearer related to some Old World forms 

 than to those from North America. The sum of all this would 

 indicate that the specimen in all probability is not North Ameri- 

 can, and enough reasons are given to explain how the mistake may 

 have easily originated. It would not be human, if in receiving 

 and putting on exhibition more than 18,000 specimens in one year 

 some such mistakes did not happen. I therefore think we would 

 be fully justified in excluding Lanius robustus from the list of 

 North American birds. 



But it should always be borne in mind, that notwithstanding the 

 apparent conclusiveness of the above remarks, the question is not 

 fully solved before we have pointed out where the species really 

 occurs, since there is a bare possibility that some day it may be 

 discovered not far from its alleged habitat in spite of all our 

 arguments. L. robustus is very distinct from the other American 

 Shrikes, but not so much so, that its eventual discovery in any 

 part of the Nearctic region would cause a great surprise as far 

 as this point is concerned. The large bill and the dark color 

 suggest some southern island, and explorers of islands off our 

 southwest coast should be on the look-out. 



