LANlIN^i. 105 



from the Ycncsay, the Amoor, and the Ussuri, arc identical with 

 the Indian birds (in their winter-quarters) and not witli the 

 Japanese birds. The western form is so pale that it may be 

 called a desert form — Lanius isabellinus, breeding in Turkestan and 

 Mongolia^ and wintering in Scinde_, Arabia^ and Abyssinia. This 

 form appears to be specifically distinct, inasmuch as the males have 

 a white bar across the wing formed by the white bases of the pri- 

 maries. This species is also subject to much climatic variation, and 

 may be separated into two or more subspecies. 



The Japanese Red-tailed Shrike makes a large nest in the fork of 

 a small tree or bush, composed of roots, the stems of plants, and dry 

 grass, lined Avith finer grass and rootlets (Jouy, Proc. United States 

 Nat. Mus. 1883, p. 292). Eggs in the Pryer collection resemble 

 rufous eggs of the Woodchat. 



75. LANIUS LUCIONENSIS. 

 (CHINESE RED-TAILED SHRIKE.) 



Lanius lucionensis, Linneus, Syst. Nat. i. p. 135 (17G6). 



The Chinese Red-tailed Shrike has the crown and nape grey in the 

 adult and brown in the young, shading into greyish white on the 

 forehead and into chestnut on the upper tail-coverts and tail. 



Figures : Waldeu, Trans. Zool. Soe. ix. pi. 29. fig. 1. 



The Chinese race of the Red-tailed Shrike appears to winter in 

 some of the Loo-Choo Islands, and may possibly be a resident there. 

 A nearly adult example in the Pryer collection was procured near 

 Naha, the capital of the largest island (Okinawa) of the central group, 

 in January. 



This race breeds in North China and winters in the Philippine 

 Islands and on some of the islands of the Malay Archipelago. 



Lanius cristatus is intermediate in colour between Lanius super- 

 ciliosus and Lanius lucionensis, but it does not appear quite to 

 intergrade with either. Its breeding-grounds are by no means 

 intermediate between those of its allies, either geographically or 

 climatically. The Rufous Shrikes, like the Swallows, appear to 

 moult in our winter, and it is very probable that the winter-quarters 

 of Lanius cristatus may be climatically intermediate between those of 

 its allies. 



