273 LAXIID^. 



sides of the breast, flanks, and under tail-coverts; under wing- 

 coverts, edge of wing, and thighs creamy white, the bases of tho 

 feathers dusky ; " iris dark brown, sometimes hazel-brown " (Legge) ; 

 " iris, feet, aud claws bluish ; bill black at tip, light horny brown 

 at the base of the mandibles" (E. Pierre). 



Adult female. Superciliary streak less distinct aud more creamy ; 

 oar-coverts dai'k brown ; underparts cream- colour, more rufous buff 

 on the flanks ; sides of breast and the flanks generally with faint 

 brown zigzag vermiculations. 



Immature birds are ver}' much like the female in coloration ; 

 but tho vermiculations are much more numerous and extend over 

 most of the underparts, especially across the chest aud the sides of 

 the body ; some of the scapulars, the feathers of the rump, and 

 the upper tail-coverts are also marked with dark subtermiual cross 

 waves ; wing-coverts and secondary quills with subtermiual dark 

 lines along the outer web, which again is broadly margined with 

 fulvous or rufous. 



In the nestling or first plumage the feathers of the head aud upper 

 surface are rufescent fulvous, each vrith a dark terminal edging and 

 ray across the centre. (Lei/je.) 



Total length about 7'5 inches, culmen about 0'7. 



Wiug. Tan. Tarsu3. 



in. in. in. 



Adult S ■ Nepal 3-5 3-6 1-0 



Adult o'. Saigon 2-25 3-6 1-0 



Adidt S . Tenasserim 3-4 3-4 1-15 



Adult $ . Colombo 3-3 37 1-0 



Ohs. I may mention here that the amount of rufous colour on the 

 upper parts in this species varies to a very great extent. Thus many 

 specimens, young aud old and of both sexes, have the crown of the 

 head, the rump, and upper tail-coverts perceptibly more rufous than 

 the back. All the upper parts frequently show a strong brown tint, 

 whilst other specimens have the reddish or rufous colour confined to 

 the upper tail-coverts, and the whole back, mantle, and head are 

 earthy brown, and often with a grey hue. 



After a careful examination of more than fifty specimens in. the 

 British iluscum, and in the collections of Messrs. Seebohm, Dresser, 

 aud Scully, from all the parts of Asia where this species occurs, I am 

 unable to connect the more reddish coloration either with the age 

 of the bird, or with the season, or with its geographical distribution. 

 I therefore agree with Dr. Anderson, who [I. c.) makes the followiug 

 remarks : — ■" Among nineteen specimens of L. cristatus from the same 

 locality (Yunnan) the rufous is not alike in two ; and in one si)eci- 

 men the head and the back of the neck are marked off' distinctly 

 from the rufous-olive of the back." 



Hub. The Browu Shrike has a very wide distribution, ranging 

 from Lake Baikal to the Malayan peniusula, and from Yarkand 

 to the east coast of China. From about September till March this 

 species lives in India, Ceylon, the Andamans, and in the Indo-Chinese 

 region, which countries it leaves for the north during the hot and 



