236 lANIID^. 



Laniiis italicu,s, Lath. Ind. Orn. i. p. 71 (1790). 



Lauius vigil, Pall. Z<»i<jr. liosso-As. i. p. 10:3 (1811). 



Lanius flavescens, Ehrenb. Si/mb. P/ii/s., Aves, i. fol. e. 



Lanius longipennis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv. p. oOO (1846). 



Enneoctonus minor, Blyth, Cat. B. JIus. As. Soc. p. 193 (,18J9) ; 



Cab.Mus. Hein. i. p. 73 (1S50); Gi-ay,Hand-l. B. i. p. 393, no. 5900. 



Enneoctonus italicus, Bp. Rev. et May. de Zool. 1853, p. 438. 



Lanius roseiis, BaiUy, Orn. de la Savoie, ii. p. 26 (185.3). 



Lanius pinetorum, ) 



Lanius nio'nfrons, ( n ? ^^ • to~~ o-c 



T • '? ■ ' > Brehm, ^Saumanma, 18oo, p. 2(o. 

 Lanius eximius, I > f if 



Lanius grsecus, j 

 Adult male. Above light bluish grey, generally a little paler on 

 the crown of the head, and less clear grey on the mantle ; forehead, 

 feathers round the eye, and ear-coverts black ; wing-coverts dull 

 black, shading into grey on the lesser wing-coverts ; basal half of the 

 primary quills pure white, forming a very conspicuous speculum ; 

 terminal half of primaries and the whole secondaries brownish black 

 the latter with narrow whitish tips ; quills below greyish ; axillarie* 

 and most of the under wing-coverts white, the remainder blackisl 

 grey, forming a large patch ; four centre tail-feathers black-brown, 

 with scarcely anj- white tips, the outermost two pairs entirely white, 

 the next ones for the most part white, the base of aU the feathers 

 white except the central ones, which have theii- bases blackish grey ; 

 cheeks, chin, throat, and under tail-coverts pure white ; rest of the 

 beUy rosy pink, especially during the breeding-season ; lower flanks 

 washed with grey ; iris dark brown ; biU and feet black. Total 

 length 8*2 inches, culmen 0-65, wing 4"6, tail 3-7, tarsus O'Uo. 



Adult female. Can always be distinguished from the old male by 

 the smaller amount of black on the fore part of the head; the fore- 

 head is slightly varied by a few blackish feathers, which are preceded 

 by a narrow whitish frontal band. 



Younr/. Ashy grej', waved with narrow transverse bars of brown ; 

 the scapulars lighter and with creamy-white tips ; wings blackish 

 brown, the coverts tipped with white, as also the quills ; the secondary 

 alar speculum caused by the white bases to these quills ; tail-feathers 

 blackish, the central pair narrowly tipped with white, these white 

 ends increasing in extent towards the outermost pair, which is pure 

 white ; no black forehead ; feathers in front of the eye dusky black ; 

 ear-coverts black; cheeks and entire under surface of body creamy 

 white. 



Obs. The difference between old and young birds is seen at a 

 glance by the absence of the black frontal band in the latter. The 

 young birds appear to lose their mottled plumage before reaching 

 South Africa, and seem to put on the black frontlet of the adult 

 dress in the following spring. The Museum possesses a young 

 female killed in Damara Land on the 10th of February 18G4, which 

 is just assuming the pink breast, and has the forehead mixed with 

 black feathers. 



Hab. Central and Southern Europe, extending eastwards into 

 Siberia ; migrating in winter to South Africa. 



