94 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1885. 



described I. c, not only was supposed to be, but also really was, 

 from " California,'' being excubitorides, collected there by himself, 

 and the statement should correctly read thus : " But Cassin 

 and Baird, in 1858, described a shrike, supposed to be from 

 ' California,' " etc. 



The latest account of the bird is found in the eighth volume 

 of the "Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum" (1883), p. 243, 

 by Dr. Gadow, solely based on Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway 's work. 

 The name is given as Lanius robustus, and the habitat, California, 

 is not questioned. 



This finishes the literary history of the specimen, which may 

 be tabulated thus : — 



1858. Lanius elegans Cassin, Pr. Phila. Acad., ix, 1857, p. 213 (nee Swains., 



1831). 

 1858. Collyrio excubitoroides Baird, B. North Am., p. 327 (part). 

 1858. Collyrio elegans Baird, B. North Am., pi. lxxv, fig. 1. 

 1866. Collurio elegans Baird, Rev. Am. B., p. 444 ; Baird and Cooper, Orn. 



Califom., i, p. 140(1870). 



1872. Collurio ludovicianus Cones, Key, p. 125. 



1873. Collurio ludovicianus var. robustus Baird, Am. Natural., vii, 1873 (p. 



608); B., Br. and Bidgw., Hist. N. Am. B., i, p. 420 (1874). 



1878. Coues, B. Color. Vail., i. p. 545. 



1878. Lanius bairdi Stejneger, Archiv Math. Naturv., iii, 1878, pp. 326, 



330 ; Ld., ibid., iv, 1879, p. 263. 

 1880. Lanius ludonirianus robustus Ridgw., Pr. U. S. Nat. Mus., 1880, p. 



175 ; Ld., Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 21, p. 20 (1881). 

 1883. Lanius robustus Gadow, Cat. B. Brit. Mus., viii, p. 243. 



We shall* now examine the specimen itself, which, by the 

 courtesy of the authorities of the Academy, I have before me. 



It is mounted and in a state of preservation which, though not 

 very good, still makes it sufficient for all practical purposes. No 

 label is attached to it, but on the underside of the stand is written 

 in Cassin's handwriting : — 



Dr. Gambel 



Lanius elegans 



Sw. Faun. Bor. Am. 



I). \.6o 



fig^" Observe larger bill 

 J. C. 



No number or reference to a catalogue is found anywhere, nor 

 does the Academy seem to possess any special record of the 

 specimen. The inscription is in ink, except the name, which is 

 written with a lead-pencil. 



