252 LANIID^. 



understand how Messrs. Dresser and Sharpe came to the conclusion 

 that " this bird seems to be nothing more or less than L. laldoraP 

 L. elegans of the American authors appears to be L. hidovicianus, var. 

 rohustus, to judge from the diagnostic description of the latter species 

 as given by Baird, lirewer, and Ilidgway. 



a. Ad. sk. Hudson-Bay Company [P.]. 



(Type of species.) 

 h. Immat. sk. Tunis. L. Fraser, Esq. 



21. Lanhis lahtora. 



Lanius excubitor, var. 3, Lath. Gen. Hist. ii. p. 7 (1822 ; teste Sharpie 



Sf- Dresser). 

 Collui-io lahtora, Srjkes, P. Z. S. 1832, p. 86 ; id. J. A. S. Beng. iii. 



p. 423. 

 CoUvrio lahtora, Gray 8f Hardwicke, 111. Ind. Zoul. ii. pi. 31 (1830- 



34) ; Grai/, Hnnd-l. B. i. p. 391, do. 5933. 

 Lanius burra, Gray Sf- Hardir. op. cit. pi. 32 (1832). 

 Lanius minor, Riipp. Netie Wirhelth. p. 33 (1835, nee Gmel.). 

 Lanius lahtora, Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 290 (1846) ; Blyth, J. A. S. Benff. 



XV. p. 300, et xvi. p. 473; id. Cat. B. 31. As. Soc. p. 151 (1849); 



Jerdan, Madr. Journ. x. p. 235 ; Bp. C. A. i. p. 364 ; Horsf. 8r 



Moure, Cat. B. M. E. I. Co. i. p. 163 (1854) ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, 



p. 267 ; Henglin, J. f. 0. 1867, p. 285 ; Fimch ^- Hartl. Vog. Ostafr. 



p. 327 ; Beavan, Ibis, 1870, p. 310 ; Stvinh. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 375 ; 



Dresser i^- Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 595 ; Dresser, B. Eur. iii. 



pi. 146, p. 381 ; David 8f Oustal. Ois. Chine, p. 93 (1877). 



Adult. Head, neck, and mantle pale grey, somewhat paler grey 

 on the rump and the upper tail-coverts ; scapulars grey at base, the 

 larger ones almost pure white ; all the wing-coverts jet-black, 

 except the lesser wing-coverts, which are broadlj' edged with grey ; 

 primaries with the basal half of both the inner and outer web pure 

 white, terminal half black ; the two or three innermost secondary 

 quills are jet-black, just tipped with white, all the others being white 

 and black, terminal third of outer web broadly margined with 

 white, and with large white tips, whilst the iuner web is almost 

 entirelj' white, the black being reduced to a narrow part near the 

 shaft ; the two central pairs of tail-feathers entirely jet-black, the 

 tips only showing narrow white markings ; the two outer pairs of 

 tail-feathers are generally quite white, but have the shaft still black ; 

 rest of tail-feathers white at base, and externallj' broadly margined 

 and largely tipped with white ; a very distinct and well-developed 

 deep-black frontal line extends over the loral space, passing round 

 the eye over the ear-coverts, and backwards onto the sides of the 

 neck ; above the black superciliary stripe a narrow indistinct line 

 of white ; all the underparts, including the under wing-coverts, 

 edge of wing, and thighs are pure white ; bill black ; feet dark horn- 

 colour. 



Obs. The above description is taken from fully grown birds from 

 Kamptee. The}' do not differ from the type of this species, which 

 is also in the British Museum, except that the type has the bill and 



